Naruto and Pokemon: Power of Partnership
by Mhyrloc
Summary: Upon graduation, new ninja are presented with a Pokemon. Chosen by Arceus itself, the pokemon support their partners, just as the ninja protect their pokemon. This is the story of a boy as he struggles for acceptance, and the Pokemon who guides his way.
1. Gotta Catch a Break

I feel it prudent to warn readers: Naruto in this chapter is a bit OOCish. Or perhaps not, depends on how he acts canonically when no one is looking... Regardless, circumstances will encourage his return to happy-go-lucky land in the next chapter or two.

Prerequisite disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Pokemon, from a licensing perspective anyway. And if I did, Misty would still have her spunky hairdo and Madara would have stayed Tobi.

* * *

An alarm clock's blaring was silenced, almost before completing it's first buzz. The blond boy who's hand lay upon it's snooze button staring at the cracked ceiling above with a blank look upon his face.

This was it. He had turned in for the night early, intending to be at his best on this most important of days. Instead sleep eluded him, frightened off by discouraging thoughts that refused to let the boy be. Dejectedly he had watched the light fade from the west facing window of his bedroom as the sun set.

The boy's thoughts circled as the seal inscribed crystals the village of Konoha used for nightly illumination flickered to life, releasing the light stored the day prior.

He roused from his torpor somewhat when he heard the sound of impacts on his door and windows accompanied by adolescent laughter. He had heard the sounds often enough to identify the act of petty vandalism, he stopped counting at thirty-six. It wasn't any concern of his if someone wanted to waste perfectly good eggs. He lay there, eyes barely moving, breath shallow, looking for all intents and purposes like a man awaiting his final judgment. He still lay there when the sun rose to witness him lethargically silencing the unneeded reminder of his fate.

This was the day of the academy final exams. More specifically: his FINAL exams. Prospective ninja were required to attend Konoha's academy for five years, most started at seven or eight years old, and graduated to genin at the age of twelve or thirteen. The boy had received permission to enter the academy early in light of the fact that he had no one to look after him, and nothing to occupy his time.

He had entered at five years old, and he was now twelve.

This would be his third and final chance at passing the genin exam. Both of his prior attempts had been spectacular failures on the simple grounds that no matter what he did, he could never successfully make a simple Bushin. He could manage Kawarimi and was (in his own humble opinion) a master with Henge. But no matter how focused he was, no matter how hard he tried, every bushin he produced looked like it had been put through a wash and worn wet.

Theoretically he knew there was only a one in three chance of being asked to do the bushin for the Ninjutsu portion of the test, but in practice he knew to expect the worst and hope for the best. He had learned long ago how futile hope could be.

Leveraging himself out of bed, he went to the bathroom to begin his morning preparations. Not long after, he was eating his breakfast: three cups of instant ramen. He sighed, slightly mournful of the wasted eggs from last night. They would have been a pleasant addition to his typical diet of dirt cheap unspoilable food.

After breakfast, he returned to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Gazing back from the mirror were his familiar azure eyes, set above a smallish nose, which itself perched above an expressive mouth which often was set in a massive grin. On his cheeks were six odd birthmarks, three straight lines each, forming what looked remarkably like whiskers. All this topped by a mess of hair such a bright yellow it could make a daffodil jealous. His outfit was just as distinctive as his face, although for a much simpler reason. It was orange. A bright, retina searing orange jumpsuit with a white collar and blue accents to be specific.

His mundane self maintenance complete, Naruto Uzumaki: most hated child in the ninja village of Konoha, made his way to the front door. This sad, stained piece of secondhand lumber stood sentinel for all the years since he was granted this apartment by the third Hokage, the elderly leader of the village and closest thing the boy had to family in the world. He stood, hand on the doorknob for what felt like an eternity, pondering the simple barrier that separated their world from his. For all his life it seemed, there was an invisible and impenetrable wall between the world of the villagers and the world of Naruto Uzumaki...

The world of the villagers was sunlit laughter and happy families. It was picnics in the park and friends to push each other on the swing. It was simple togetherness and complex competition between rival brothers.

The world of Naruto Uzumaki... was nothing remotely similar. It was taunting jeers and petty assaults. It was terrifying shadows and tears in the dark. Most of all though, it was loneliness. Crippling debilitating loneliness.

And whenever those two worlds brushed each other, jagged sparks erupted. Sometimes, he struck those sparks intentionally. Pranks committed for a degree of restitution towards those who sought to hurt him, or simply for enjoyment and attention. Often times these sparks turned back and burned him. Luckily the masked ninja known as Anbu would almost always interfere before he was injured seriously. Assuming he hadn't managed to lose his pursuers on his own anyway, an act which he had grown rather talented in these past years.

Most often he would simply retreat from that world. Holed up in his apartment or an old forgotten training ground he would practice his ninja techniques. Progress painstakingly dragged from his flesh using low quality and often scavenged equipment. Using blood, sweat and even tears to hold the enemy at bay. Knowing that even as he did so, eventually the solitude would become too much. Those days days he eagerly endured the scorn of that other world, simply to feel connected to someone else. Like the desperation of a starving man devouring food he knows to be poison, simply to make the pain recede for a time. Often when the hunger was sated, the toxic hatred he endured to do so left him worse than before.

But always he would use these events to fuel his determination; to make his next training sessions harder, stronger, more focused. Someday they would see him for the ninja he was born to be. Someday he would make their world look at him and see not what he is, but what he will become...

And all he has to do is make a stupid clone...

...maybe Iruka sensei was right when he said they broke the mold after he was born? Maybe that's why his clones all sucked? He smiled sadly at that thought. That argument wouldn't help him pass, and neither would standing here like a doorstop. He's a ninja in the making, damnit! Not the doorman at some crappy hotel! That thought firmly in place, Naruto strapped a weaponshop's worth of metaphorical steel to his spine, set his face into the oblivious smile that was as much a mask as any Anbu's porcelain visage, and strode out beyond the edges of his world and into the smell of eggs baking in the sun. After locking the door and promising to clean the silent sentry when he got home, he took off at full speed for the academy and the rest of his life.

* * *

As usual, Naruto was the last one of his class to arrive. He strode towards his desk in the back of the classroom, brimming with artificial confidence.

Neither Iruka-sensei nor Mizuki-sensei were present at the moment, so the prospective genin were chattering animatedly or otherwise passing time in their own manners.

Chouji Akimichi was in his seat munching on what seemed to be a large breakfast bento. His parents probably made it for him as a good luck gesture, in typical Akimichi appetite fashion of course. Beside him Shikamaru Nara snored quietly, apparently even the last day of school and the start of their shinobi careers wasn't enough to motivate the slacker.

Shino Aburame was... sitting there. To be honest Naruto couldn't tell in most cases if the boy was asleep or awake, let alone what he was thinking.

Kiba Inuzuka was standing near one of the civilian girls boasting about his upcoming promotion, and how he would be top dog among the new genin. All Naruto could remember about the girl was that she hated him with a passion. He'd once picked up a pencil she'd dropped and returned it to her, only to watch her snap it in two and tell him it 'was contaminated by his stupid'.

Hinata Hyuuga, the strange, dark, girl with weird eyes, sat in the front corner of the room, on the opposite side of the door. He couldn't really tell what she was doing, aside from avoiding looking his way anytime he so much as glanced near her direction. It took him a long time to figure her out, but eventually he realized: She was terrified of him. The few times they were assigned to spar as part of Taijutsu class she would start breathing heavily and looking like she wanted to run far far away. Naruto wasn't sure what he might have done to effect the girl in such a way, but he was sure he didn't like it. Unfortunately between her hating him like most of the village and her being afraid of him, he was offered little reason to try changing things.

Sakura Haruno, the bubblegum haired object of his affections was busy fighting with her former best friend: the blond and popular Ino Yamanaka. Sadly the object of their dispute was the target of their own romantic fantasies: Sasuke Uchiha. The dark haired, coal eyed boy was busy glaring at the front of the room, either trying to ignore the near cat fight beside him or trying to ignite the chalkboard through sheer power of will. Or he was constipated... Hard to tell really. The other students, civilian kids mostly were sitting around talking in small groups. The subjects of discussion ranged from dread for the test itself to predictions on who would pass and be assigned to which teams, to age old friends making pacts to not go all weird and crazy when they become powerful ninja.

Naruto made his way to his own seat in the far corner of the classroom, studiously preventing his smile-mask from slipping. Once there he put his head on his arms and decided to feign sleep. Hoping none of the other students would see fit to bother him.

A bit less than ten minutes passed in this manner before the sliding door opened and the two Chunin teachers entered. Iruka Umino was a kind man, hardly what one would expect in your average ninja. He was strict and wanted his students to excel no matter what. Naruto knew him as one of the very few who were willing to help when he had a problem, and for that he had the boy's respect. Mizuki however was much less generous towards his students. When he trained the students he preached the merits of personal strength. A ninja in his view had to stand on their own if they wanted to survive, while Iruka often professed that teamwork was the better route. Both philosophies had their merits, so such debates weren't particularly discouraged.

The teachers moved to their standard morning positions: Mizuki lounging in a chair near the chalkboard, and Iruka in the center of the student dubbed 'lecture path'. Iruka tended to pace while teaching, and Naruto would be amazed if they hadn't had to replace any of the flooring in the years since he had started his career.

Iruka cleared his throat, attempting to get his class' attention. After a few moments he tried again, the only response he received was a derisive chuckle from the corner Mizuki was in. With a sigh, Iruka snapped his fingers and in a flash of purple light there was a third figure standing at Iruka's side. After a nod from Iruka, the purple creature began to emit a whistling noise, warning the more astute students of what was about to occur.

Less than a second after the whistling began, an eruption of noise battered those students who hadn't noticed the telltale warning into submission.

"**EXPLOUUUD!**" Iruka's pokemon announced the start of class with a window shaking roar.

"Thank you," Iruka said, nodding to his inhuman partner. "Now that I have your attention," he began turning his attention back to the class. The Pokemon he had partnered with since his own entry into the Ninja ranks vanished with another ray of purple light, which jumped into the strange tattoo on his arm. "As you all know, today is the graduation exam... You will be tested on all of the criteria you've learned these past years, and if you score well enough you will be permitted to attempt to gain a Pokemon partner. Those of you who do not, will be permitted to try again next year, after attending another year of schooling of course," here he grinned at the chorus of groans coming from the lower ranking members of class. "I must remind you however, that those who do not take their ninja studies seriously enough will not be allowed to remain in the academy indefinitely. You are only permitted three attempts at the final exam, so I suggest all of you redouble your efforts in the future... Regardless of whether that future is back here, or hopefully in your own genin teams."

"What happens if we fail three times?" asked a civilian boy named Hayagawa. Naruto flinched almost imperceptibly. Every time the subject came up, someone would ask that question. Naruto could only take solace that this time it wasn't someone trying to rub it in his face. Hayagawa had scores almost as bad as Naruto. In fact he would be deadlast, if Naruto could just manage that stupid clone jutsu.

Iruka sighed before answering. "If a student fails the academy exam three times, it is assumed that further ninja training is unlikely to improve on their abilities. In that circumstance, the former student is removed from the curriculum and taken to have a seal applied." Hinata paled.

Seals, especially those applied without the bearer's consent were a sickening reality to the kind would-be heiress.

"The purpose of this seal is twofold: first, it blocks the majority of the recipient's chakra, reducing them to civilian levels so that they cannot become a threat to the village as a whole on their own. And second, it triggers a paralyzing effect if the bearer attempts to betray Konoha to it's enemies... It is my sincerest hope that none of the students that pass through my classroom ever face that fate. I have dedicated my life to the education of tomorrow's ninja legends, and I know you will all make me proud... Even if you take a year or two longer to do it than I'd like." He finished with a smile, momentarily locking eyes with Naruto as he swept his gaze across the classroom. "Now, if there are no more questions, we'll begin the exams..."

* * *

The following hours were spent in exhaustive testing. A written test to prove theoretical knowledge and basic understanding of common ninja concepts. Taijutsu spars against the teachers to assess their techniques. Accuracy tests with both kunai and shuriken. And finally, after those who couldn't pass the requisite scores on those had been weeded out, the students were brought back into the classroom for the final stage of the exam.

"Alright students, This will be the last and most important phase of the examination: Ninjutsu." Iruka held up a small tissue box, "in this are slips of paper listing the three Academy techniques. You will be called one at a time into the testing room to demonstrate the jutsu you pull from it. While Mizuki-sensei and I are away, the rest of you may do as you wish, as long as it is quiet and not disruptive to the other classes. If, once you complete your assigned jutsu correctly, you are given a passing grade overall, you will be given one of these," Iruka held up an iridescent metal sheet. It was rectangular, an inch or so thick, and about as long as his forearm on it's long side, and about half that on it's shorter side. It bore an oddly flowing engraving of many Pokemon species on it. "These are known as the 'Plates of Arceus', and will be the focus of your day tomorrow. I strongly suggest you take this very seriously."

"What you do, what you say, even what you think about, will all effect which Pokemon partner you receive. You all know what's expected of you tomorrow, so I don't want to see any of you here. Stay home and spend the day in contemplation, or you may find yourself with an incompatible partner. I must remind you: there are no second chances. Once you are paired with a Pokemon it is your partner for life. Those of you who receive a plate will be contacted by Anbu the day after tomorrow to escort you to the graduation ceremony. Make sure you bring the plate with you. No plate, no headband. That is all. If there are no questions, we will proceed with the final testing."

Aside from a few dismissive snorts from some of the students when he spoke about Arceus, the class listened intently to his instructions.

A minute later when no one spoke up Iruka continued. "Very well, the order of testing will follow class rank, from highest grade to lowest. Once your test is complete you are free to leave, and I hope to see you all in two day's time. Sasuke Uchiha, please come with me. You're first"

Sasuke grunted and strode from the room, his cheering fangirls already declaring his imminent victory. Immediately followed by Sakura and Ino arguing about who's cheering was more encouraging for 'Their Sasuke-kun.'

Naruto placed his head back on his arms and settled in to wait... it was bound to be a long day.

* * *

A few hours later he was standing in the testing room with both Iruka and Mizuki staring at him as he trembled, staring at the paper in his hand. Clear as day it read: 'Bushin no Jutsu.' crumpling it in frustration he threw it onto the desk in front of his teachers.

"Fine!" He growled, "You want a clone? I'll give you the best damn clone you ever seen!" Naruto immediately began gathering chakra, so much it was faintly visible to the eye.

Iruka closed his eyes and sighed, he'd hoped the boy would be able to pass this time. There was only a one in three chance of the clone jutsu being picked after all, and Naruto deserved a lucky break more than just about anyone. Next to him, unseen by Iruka and unnoticed by Naruto, Mizuki smirked confidently.

After a couple moments of chakra channeling Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and cried out "Bushin no Jutsu!" He felt his focus was perfect, his visualization was spot on, and he'd channeled enough chakra to almost blind his unseen admirer as she used her doujutsu to spy on this most important of events (in her mind anyway). He was confident that he had finally managed it the clone. He could not, would not, fail this time. All he had to do was open his eyes and see Iruka's happy grin... but for some reason, moving those two thin pieces of skin felt like the heaviest weight he had ever lifted. And when he saw the sorrow in his teacher's eyes, he knew he had failed. Again.

He moved his gaze forlornly to the side where his clones were to have materialized, only to catch sight of a grayish orange blob sprawled on the floor. It looked like the three clones he had attempted to produce got mangled and combined in some horrible accident.

"I'm truly sorry, Naruto." Iruka said, " But I simply cannot pass you. That clone isn't even really a clone, it looks more like something out of a bad horror movie."

"I don't know, Iruka," began Mizuki. "Something like that might actually be useful in the right circumstances. The shock value alone might help the kid survive in a genin level fight, you know? Besides it's not like we want the poor kid to get sealed. I say we pass him anyway."

"We can't do that," Iruka responded. "I will not send an unprepared student out to die, nor will I lie to the Hokage about the results of the test. Naruto... I'm sorry. I have no doubt that you'd have succeeded marvelously on any other jutsu... but I cannot in good conscience make an exception. Not for you, and not for any of the other students that failed this year."

"I understand," Naruto replied in a voice so empty of emotion Iruka winced. "Hey, I guess I'll see you around, eh, Iruka-sensei?"

"Yeah, we'll get some ramen at Ichiraku's, okay?" Iruka promised.

Naruto waved unenthusiastically in reply and left the room, closing the door silently behind him.

Iruka stared after the boy for a while, before being broken from his thoughts by his co-teacher.

"Well, now that that mess is finished, I'm gonna go get smashed. Yay for semester breaks, right man?" Mizuki proclaimed.

"Yeah..." Iruka sighed. "But there's still a ton of paperwork to get finished before the graduation ceremony. No rest for the wicked I suppose..." he cast a glance towards the door with a pensive expression.

"Bah, you made the right call. If we'd have done it my way no doubt the Hokage would have had us in Ibiki's office before we could blink... If he were feeling generous anyway. Otherwise, Anko's..."

Both men shivered a moment at that thought.

"Well, my more professional protege," Mizuki continued after a moment. "Since one of us needs to finish said paperwork, and we both know I'll just screw it up..."

"Intentionally," interjected Iruka.

"I'm hurt that you would say such things," Mizuki replied in a sad tone. "But regardless, have fun 'Iruka-sensei'," Mizuki called as he strode from the room chuckling.

* * *

Naruto paced down the hallway towards the exit, obliviously passing by the room hiding the tear streaked Hyuuga girl.

His thoughts were a tangle. His whole life, the only real road that seemed open to him was becoming a ninja, and now that road seemed to have collapsed into a yawning chasm.

All the hopes, dreams and distant ambitions he'd carved into his heart and mind over the years were firmly trapped on the other side. If only there were another way to become a ninja. Maybe he could petition the Hokage for a retest? No... that would never work, and with the school year just ending the old man would be so swamped with paperwork Naruto would be lucky to see him within a week. By that time he would be the owner of a shiny new seal, and the conversation would be more likely to revolve around suggestions for what he should do with his life, given the new limitations he would be under.

Naruto exited the school, into the far too cheerful light of the sun. He glared at it a moment, childishly offended that it could be so inconsiderate of his depressed thoughts, then moved to the swing hanging under the shade of the nearby tree. It was the only tree in the front yard of the school, and it meant a lot to him. This was where he came to think when his classes were going bad, this was where he pondered the mystery of female emotion. Although the tree had yet to help him explain why Sakura fawned over the cold Uchiha when Naruto had done his very best to be her own personal sun, (literally in one unfortunate and painful instance). This was also where he decided he was destined for greatness...

He and the rest of the class had just learned about the Kawarimi no Jutsu, and they were in the front yard of the school practicing that day, due to a large scale jutsu display for the last year students being held in the normal training area behind the school. The students were told to visualize their destination, and charge as much chakra as they were able, then with hand signs and a shout of Kawarimi no jutsu... Poof, they would be where they wanted, leaving a mysteriously appearing log in their place.

This happened in Naruto's third year at the academy, which would have been around the time Sakura-chan and the others of his current class were just starting their first.

Well, Naruto did as instructed, but instead of finding himself appearing next to the teacher on the opposite side of the yard, he found himself in a hole in the ground which immediately collapsed, burying him up to his shoulders in the wet dirt. One arm was trapped in the inadvertent burial and it took him almost an hour to dig his way free and another thirty minutes to make his way back to the school. A trip which would have taken longer had he not been stopped and escorted via Shunshin by one of the Anbu dispatched to find him.

When he arrived at the school, he was shocked to see an entire living tree had appeared in the spot he had vacated. Sandaime-jiji was standing there staring at it with a puzzled expression that would have made Naruto erupt into laughter had he not been tired and dirty from his own confusing experience. The Hokage had asked what happened and explained that Naruto used too much chakra and so threw off his technique.

Naruto reduced his chakra use the next time and hadn't had that particular mistake happen since. He had tried to do the same with his bushin technique, just in case it suffered from a similar issue, but no matter how little chakra he used, they all came out wrong.

Naruto placed his hand on the tree, the one tangible piece of evidence that he was more than just a failure. Incontrovertible proof that he was special in some way. He rest his head against it and fought back the tears that threatened to fall. He couldn't afford to be seen as weak. Not in this world of the villager's creation...

Naruto had no idea how long he had stood there, palm and forehead pressed against the tree hard enough to sting, when a voice called out to him.

"He's not hard on you because he hates you, you know," Naruto turned to see Mizuki-sensei approach from the school doorway. "He wants to protect you, keep you safe. You're like the little brother he never had, I think..."

Naruto turned back to the tree without replying.

Mizuki walked up next to him, staring up through the branches at the sun crawling its way slowly towards the west. They stood that way for a while before Mizuki spoke again, his voice somber. "I never really understood the whole 'protecting everyone' thing. It's always been my belief that the best way for someone to be safe is for them to get strong. Teach them to stand on their own and protect themselves, you know? Like that old saying about fishing I mean. Except with fighting, because fishing is boring," Mizuki chuckled. "But it's hard to get strong as a civilian, And it's not like the jerks in this village will lift a finger to help you, eh?"

Naruto scowled towards the tree in response.

"Tell me, Naruto... How much do you want to be strong? How far will you go to protect yourself?"

Naruto responded, still scowling "I will get strong. I will protect not only me, but all the people I care about too! I don't care if I'm sealed, and I don't care if I'm a civilian. I will become Hokage someday! And there's no one in this village that's gonna stop me!" Naruto was barely whispering the words, but the intensity in his words made them seem all the louder.

Mizuki hummed to himself, as if considering something. "Well kid, I guess I got no choice but to tell you then." He smirked at Naruto's puzzled look. "There's a secret test for those who fail the exam for their third time, but it can only be issued by one of the student's instructors in private."

"Wait, if that's true then why didn't Iruka-sensei tell me about it?" Naruto responded in a surprising show of logic.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know," Mizuki shrugged. "But there's a fair chance he just doesn't know about it. After all, it is pretty rare for someone to flunk out all three times... No offense of course."

"I guess that makes sense..." Naruto conceded. "So, what do I have to do to pass this super secret test Sensei?" he asked, eyes sparking with hope once again.

Mizuki knelt next to Naruto, so their faces were inches apart, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "That's just it, this is right up your alley kid. If anyone in the entire school can pull it off, you can. What you need to do is sneak into the Hokage's tower and 'borrow' the scroll of forbidden sealing. I gotta warn you though, I can't tell anyone why you're doing this or the test is void. You gotta get in, and get out, on your own without getting caught."

At Naruto's wide eyed stare he clarified. "This is a chunin rank mission, kid. It's purpose is to test your infiltration and information acquisition skills. Genin aren't expected to have any ability in those areas you know, that's more espionage oriented chunin and special jounin stuff. These secret tests are designed to be tough, their purpose is to make sure that we don't accidentally lose a ninja with valuable skills because of a little quirk like your clone issues."

Naruto nodded his understanding and Mizuki continued, "now, once you have the scroll you gotta get to the rendezvous point written here." He handed Naruto a folded piece of paper. "Make sure you destroy that once you know where to go, ninja never leave evidence behind. When you reach the drop off point wait for me to come get you. I'll score you based on speed, stealth, time it takes for an alert to sound, and how long it takes them to figure out who took the scroll. All of these are important concerns for an espionage operation." He looked straight into Naruto's eyes, "if you can score high enough on this to bring your total score to passing, you will be issued an 'Arceus Plate' tonight and graduate with your classmates at the ceremony.

"But... What if I can't get enough points to make up for my Ninjutsu score?" Naruto asked.

Mizuki rocked back on his heels a moment to think. "Tell you what, just 'cause Iruka likes you, and I wanna see him cheer you on at the ceremony, I'll make you a deal. If you can learn a jutsu from the scroll and demonstrate it for me when I arrive to grade you. I'll change your Ninjutsu score to match whatever you earn demonstrating the new one. How's that sound?" Mizuki leaned forward again and offered his hand to the small boy.

Naruto stared at his sensei, awed at the generosity of the offer. "I say you got a deal!" He shouted, grasping the offered hand and shaking it vigorously. "I'll ace this test! I'll do so good they'll have to invent a new letter above 'A', dattebayo!"

"Good to hear it," Mizuki replied with a grin. He gestured to the piece of paper in Naruto's hand, "I'll meet you there at... Let's say midnight, that'll give you some time to earn that extra credit. Plus, if you can get the scroll and they don't even realize it's gone until then, I think that would qualify you for that perfect score you want." He stood and brushed off his pants briskly. "Well, if you're all set and don't have any more questions, I have a date with a hot lil lady I call sake!" That said, Mizuki vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto grinned in anticipation as he set off like a shot for his apartment, he had gear to collect for this ultimate test. This time he swore to himself: he would pass no matter what it took. Nothing would stop him. Nothing would delay him... Well almost nothing, he amended as he approached his door. He had a promise to keep, and it would be a grave disservice to abandon Door in his time of need.

* * *

Later that night, Iruka was just finishing up the last of his end of the year paperwork. As he stacked the forms in his arm, planning to haul them down to the school's administration office for proper filing, he spotted the wadded up piece of paper Naruto hurled at the desk earlier. Sighing to himself for what seemed like the hundredth time that day he gathered the offending scrap, glaring at it with what anger he could hold for such an object.

"Why did you have to be Bushin?" He demanded. "Is it to much to ask for one little thing to go Naruto's way for once?" Unsurprisingly he received no response. Resisting an immature urge to just burn the thing, he decided to return it to the box for use in the future.

He sent a bit of chakra into the slip of paper, using a teacher's jutsu he'd learned over the years to repair paperwork damaged by anything from stray jutsu and kunai to being partially consumed by wild animals.

Ninja-to-be were surprisingly innovative when it came to avoiding homework, and most of the academy's teachers had no pity for unimaginative excuses. There was actually a top ten list in the teacher's lounge of best excuses ever used. Currently number one was Tsunade's "My granddad accidentally turned it into a tree." Most surprising is the fact that it was apparently true, if one were to judge by the apology note pinned next to it signed by Hashirama Senju.

Iruka frowned when the paper in his hands resisted for a few seconds, before releasing a tiny burst of chakra and unfolding itself properly. His eyes went wide as he stared. The words 'Henge no Jutsu' emblazoned across it.

As he stared at the words, trying to figure out how Naruto could have confused one technique for the other, he heard a loud slam and pounding footsteps. Turning to the doorway he watched it fly open to reveal a haggard looking Kurenai Yuuhi. Kurenai had been a fellow teacher in the academy, teaching the fourth grade students until just a year ago. After teaching the prior year's class, she declared her intention to leave the academy and attain her jouninship to become a genin team sensei.

Iruka knew from personal experience that the young Hyuuga heiress had factored into the decision, both because of Kurenai's previous involvement with the girl, and because she had consulted him in regards to the best manner to request the Hokage give her the girl as a student. Personally, he hoped she got the team she chose. he believed it would be good both for the Genin involved and Kurenai herself.

"Ah... Yes, Kurenai-san? Was there something you need?" He asked absently, mind still tangling with the puzzle in his hand.

"Iruka-san," Kurenai began, almost out of breath from her swift arrival. "The Hokage summoned all active ninja to the tower..."

"Damn. I'll head right there," Iruka interrupted, dropping the stack of files on the desk.

"Don't bother," Kurenai continued, stopping Iruka mid stride. "He made his announcement already, I got here as fast as I could. It was about Naruto... He... He stole the Scroll of Forbidden Seals. Every ninja in the village is out looking for him."

Iruka's eyes shot wide for a moment, before, as if by magic the pieces to his puzzle clicked into place. A glare of anger so intense settled onto the kind chunin's face that Kurenai unconsciously stepped away. "Mizuki..." he growled, his hand spasming closed and crushing the paper once again.

He looked into Kurenai's eyes a moment, lost in thought. "Go to the Hokage," he ordered, "tell him Naruto's being used. Mizuki must have planned to make Naruto fail, then use him to get the scroll."

Kurenai nodded, ignoring the fact that she outranked the teacher. "What are you going to do?" she inquired.

"Mizuki's a man of habit. There are only so many places he would choose to meet Naruto, and there's no way he would have left himself having to search for him beside the rest of the village. Naruto's too good at evading capture to leave something like this up to chance."

"And when you find him?"

"I plan to beat him into the dirt, then bring him back for Ibiki... Or maybe Anko." He grinned maliciously at the jounin when he mentioned her friend. "No one hurts my students," Iruka swore before vanishing in a shunshin.

Kurenai stared at the place he stood a moment more before turning and rushing from the room as fast as she could. On her way back to the Hokage's tower she wondered if Iruka could handle Mizuki on his own... And if he could, how much of the possible traitor would be left afterward.

* * *

Naruto sat in a clearing in a training ground just outside of Konoha proper. Apparently it was used for some kind of bandit rescue or other form of forced entry training, judging from the much battered cabin that stood nearby. He was exhausted but deliriously happy. He had managed to learn one jutsu from the scroll, and it was a bushin type to boot. No way would anyone be able to deny his graduation now! All he had to do was wait for Mizuki-sensei to get here and he'd be a genin in no time. As he plopped onto his back to rest, he reflected on the course of the day since accepting the secret test.

-Flashback-

When he reached his apartment, Naruto fulfilled his promise to Door and spent the next hour scrubbing it clean of eggy residue. During this time he devised his plan of attack.

He knew Sarutobi-jiji generally took a lunch break from his dreaded paperwork around the end of the academy's school day. More often than not he went out to lunch with Konohamaru, his grandson. The young boy usually picked the restaurant and the Hokage made sure to invite Naruto along if they went anywhere he felt comfortable entering.

Generally, this meant only Ichiraku's.

He was fairly certain that despite the extra work piling on his desk due to the end of school, that the Hokage's office would be empty at that time and would likely remain that way for at least an hour. Konohamaru often rambled on about how his day went, what cool new things he learned, and threats to take the hat by force someday soon.

As for how to get into the room and past any guards, Naruto had long ago learned a secret way in. A path through ventilation ducts he had discovered while trying to avoid a less than tolerant secretary some time back. Sarutobi-jiji was unhappy with him for finding a flaw in his security, but once Naruto had revealed it to him and escorted a smallish monkey summon through it, he'd agreed to allow the boy this one covert path to him, adding a sealing array to the entrance and exit that wouldn't allow anyone but the boy through. His only stipulation was that Naruto only use it in a true emergency.

Well, if his last chance at graduation didn't qualify as an emergency, he didn't want to encounter any problems that did.

Nearly an hour and a half of frantic searching later, and Naruto had finally located his target. Somehow,, the Hokage had managed to stuff it into a drawer not even a quarter the size of the scroll itself... Naruto decided that if the opportunity ever presented itself, he really had to learn some of this sealing stuff. Unfortunately for him, as he was trying to fit the giant scroll into the vents so he could finally leave, the Hokage himself appeared via shunshin. He immediately went on alert looking around angrily until he spotted Naruto with his prize.

"Naruto-kun, What on earth are you doing?" The old man asked.

Naruto, remembering what Mizuki said: about evidence, and sounding alarms, and about having to keep the test a secret or it not counting; did the only thing he could think to do...

"Sorry, jiji," Naruto apologized forming a sign and charging chakra. The Hokage frowned sadly and prepared to take the boy down and get some answers...

"Oroike no jutsu!"

Only to collapse in a spray of nose originated blood as Naruto unleashed his first, and arguably most dangerous (often to himself if a kunoichi is near) personally created jutsu.

Rolling the unconscious man onto his belly so he wouldn't drown in his own blood, Naruto was struck by an idea. Strapping the scroll to his back he Henge'd into the Hokage, grabbed the worn pipe from the desk and strolled out the door.

"Hokage-sama?" yelped the secretary as she hurried over, straightening her mussed clothing. "I... I Thought you were out to lunch?"

Naruto looked over the secretary a moment, then past her to the chunin pointedly staring out a window that had no view worth watching. "Ah, don't mind me," he replied in Sarutobi's voice. "I just forgot my pipe and came back for it. Nothing worth noting I'm sure. Do carry on." Naruto-as-Sarutobi walked out of the building chucking for more than one reason.

A short time later, and Naruto was making full speed for the rendezvous. A quick glance at the sun, which was coming close to setting revealed he had more than a few hours to get his new jutsu down. It might be a bit of a rush, but he swore he would do it. No matter what.

-Flashback end-

The rapid pounding of footsteps brought Naruto to his feet in a rush. The boy was literally bouncing in place with eagerness to see Mizuki and pass his test. His disappointment was sharp when instead Iruka slid to a stop in front of him.

"Does this mean I fail the test?" Naruto asked sadly.

"Naruto! Do you know where Mizuki is?" Iruka demanded, "I don't know what he told you, but that scroll should never have been removed from the Hokage's office. This is no test, this is treason!" Iruka swept his eyes around franticly, trying to watch everywhere at once.

"Wh... what? What do you mean there's no test? Mizuki-sensei told me..." Naruto trailed off realization dawning on him. "He's like everyone else, isn't he?" He asked quietly, not really expecting an answer.

"I'm hurt that you would think so little of me, Naruto." called out a sinister voice from the shadowed woods. "I did ask what you were willing to do to become strong didn't I? And then I gave you a way to do it... You can't honestly tell me those pathetic villagers would even consider doing something like that."

"Mizuki!" Iruka yelled, still glaring around. "Show yourself! What's this all about? Why would you do something like this?"

"Why? Isn't it obvious, Iruka? This is about power. I'm tired of being on the low end of the strength scale in this village. I'm tired of teaching stupid brats who have less potential in their whole bodies than I do in a single finger. I'm tired of waiting for this damn village to recognize my greatness! I'll force them to see my power, and Orochimaru-sama has promised to help me."

"All I need is that scroll to pay my tuition, so to say, and he'll teach me everything I need to know. He even offered to let me stand with him when he comes back to burn this place to the ground." Malevolent laughter filled the woods around them for a moment.

"Naruto," the voice continued when it's mirth had faded. "Give me the scroll, and I'll bring you with me. We can both serve Orochimaru-sama. Think about it: no more villagers to harass you, no more living in that dump you call a home, no more of this sick, disgusting, village. I'm willing to keep my promise of power... if you're willing to complete your mission. Remember, the test only ends with you a ninja when you give the scroll to me."

"Don't listen to him, Naruto," Iruka commanded. "He's just trying to manipulate you. He'll kill you the second he doesn't need you anymore."

Naruto looked from Iruka to the woods, worry and fear clearly evident in his posture and expression.

Dark chuckles came from the woods around them again. "If that were true, I'd just kill him now. Even I can see how exhausted he must be from all that training. It'd hardly be difficult right now. I certainly doubt a soft desk-ninja like you would be able to stop me, Iruka. In fact, I bet I could kill you both before you even know where I am..."

"But I'm a generous person, so I think I'll sweeten the deal for you, Naruto. If you want, I'll tell you why the village hates you so much. Why they all want to keep you weak. The secret so big no one is allowed to even whisper it in Konoha. Well? Do you want to hear it kid?"

"No! Mizuki you wouldn't dare!" Iruka cried out in surprise. "If you say it you'll be executed!"

Naruto stared at his visible teacher in shock. Iruka knew? He knew all this time? All the pain Naruto had suffered and the answer was as close to him as his own teacher... And Iruka never told him?

"Hmmm, You're right Iruka. I wouldn't want to get executed twice. On top of the treason and all I mean... I guess that just means I can't get caught!" The hidden man laughed again "You want to know the secret, Naruto? Fine! The secret is: You are the Kyuubi no Youko!"

"All the evil that beast committed stains your very soul! Your claws, your teeth, you killed all those people who were lost that day you were born! Yondaime died trying to destroy you! But you still exist, and the village... Wants. You. Dead!"

Naruto felt his heart stop at those words... suddenly a thousand barely heard insults made sense: Fox brat, Demon, Monster. He fell to his knees in a daze, the forest seemed to be spinning around him, as if the world itself was trying to reject him.

"No!" Iruka rebutted. "Naruto's got that thing locked inside him. That much is true. But he's no more the Kyuubi than I am!" Distantly Naruto heard Iruka's denial, but everything seemed to be coming from so far away... like it didn't matter anymore.

"Oh? Well, in that case I'll just have to kill you both!" Mizuki screamed, charging forward from behind Naruto's unresponsive form, an already flying windmill shuriken leading the way.

The next sensation Naruto felt wasn't a burning pain, nor the slicing of steel through flesh. Naruto felt like he was flying. He was puzzled by the experience until he hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. Iruka had grabbed Naruto by the back of his jumpsuit and launched him to safety while staying himself and bashing the giant throwing star out of the air with the other arm. Unfortunately for Iruka, the razor sharp edge of the weapon ripped a long gash along his upper arm.

Iruka grabbed the wound, wincing in pain before being forced to dodge from the rapidly approaching Mizuki. The traitorous nin was wielding his second shuriken as if it were a buzz saw. Slashing and swiping with it almost recklessly.

"Why would you help that damned demon!" The treacherous ninja exclaimed. "Why the hell would you save the monster that killed your parents! The Yondaime! Everyone!"

Iruka darted forward when his opponent's wild swing left him overbalanced momentarily and delivered a bruising kick to the gut, knocking him away. "Because, it's like I said." Iruka replied. "Naruto is not the demon fox. He's one of my precious students. And anyone who wants to hurt my students, will do so over my dead body!" Iruka drew a pair of kunai and charged at Mizuki, with a cry of "Now, Exploud!"

From the woods surrounding the embattled ninja a familiar whistling arose, followed immediately by a bone shaking call.

**"EEEEEEXXPLOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU..."**

Naruto was forced to cover his ears as the sound continued unabated, a constant whistle underscoring the ever increasing call.

"Shit!" Mizuki cursed, immediately understanding the unorthodox attack as a call for aid. "Scolipede! Find that thing and kill it!" he ordered as the large insectoid pokemon appeared in a flash of reddish light.

The scolipede cried out it's name in reply and charged off into the brush in search of the hidden pokemon noisemaker.

"It's over Mizuki!" Iruka proclaimed, somehow seemingly unaffected by the constant clamor around him. "Anbu will be here in minutes. Your only options are peaceful surrender or painful capture."

Naruto was transfixed as the battle between the two ninja continued, twin kunai against giant shuriken. He was confused as to why Iruka would go so far for him. Sure, he was a damn good teacher, but how many teachers would get in a fight to the death for their students?

Meanwhile Iruka was taking full advantage of the disorienting effect Exploud's call was having on Mizuki, pushing the traitor ninja onto his heels time and again. Iruka seemed to have every advantage for a short while... right until Exploud's alarm choked off into a hiccuping warble.

"Looks like my pet found yours," Mizuki gloated with a cruel expression. "I wonder how long it'll be before Scolipede's venom eats it away from the inside, hmm?"

Iruka unconsciously darted his eyes towards where he knew Exploud would be fighting against his toxic adversary.

Such distraction would be dangerous in any battle between ninja, but against an opponent who knows it's coming, even a moment's inattention can prove deadly. Unfortunately for Iruka, Mizuki knew him well enough to be such an opponent.

The instant his eyes moved, Mizuki stopped the spinning blades of his shuriken, bringing both hands to the central ring he grabbed and twisted. With an almost silent click the blades came apart in two sections forming a pair of large knives with a blade pointing forward and back from the grip.

Bringing his extended arm back to position in a slash across his body, he managed to score a deep wound across Iruka's chest, only the loyal teacher's quick reflexes prevented the swing from removing his head. Mizuki anticipated this reaction however, and was already charging forward punching with the opposite blade. Iruka spun away and instead of being disemboweled, merely felt the blade slice through his vest and scratch a thin line across his abdomen.

He jumped away, but was again anticipated as the first dagger sliced towards his extended leg, so that the force of Iruka's own leap aided in the strike, dragging him up along the blade and cutting a shallow but freely bleeding wound from his knee nearly to his ankle.

Iruka landed hard, and collapsed, grabbing his wounded leg and trying to staunch the blood flowing out.

"I gotta admit. You gave me a lot better a workout than I expected, Iruka." Mizuki stated. "But I'm afraid I gotta cut this little party short. I sure didn't bring near enough sake for me, you, the brat, and all the Anbu that are likely to find us before too long... In fact, I'm not sure I brought enough for just me. And since it's rude for the host to hog all the drinks, I guess I just gotta end this little get together. Oh well." He smiled his twisted grin again, " Oh, and don't worry about your precious student, I'll be sure to kill him just like you want. Right over your dead body."

Just as Mizuki was about to stab into Iruka, a large and unwieldy object plowed into him from the side, sending him tumbling end over end. After a moment's panicky repositioning so as to not kill himself with his own blades, he rolled to his feet, settling into a ready stance.

"Aww, getting impatient Naruto? I was just about to get to you. Or did you finally decide to accept my offer?"

"You're a fool if you think I'll go anywhere with you," the boy stated boldly. "You already told me you were going to kill me. Why should I trust you?"

"Hmph!" the traitor grunted in return. "As if this village has any better plan for you. At least I'd kill you clean. Better than leaving you to waste away in some dumpster for the rest of your miserable life."

"Maybe," Naruto conceded. "But I don't plan on wasting away anywhere! I trust Iruka-sensei when he says I'm precious to him. I trust Iruka-sensei when he says I'm not Kyuubi. I trust Sarutobi-jiji when he promised to help me become a ninja however he can. And If I have to go through this village one person at a time and prove I'm not a monster, prove I'm not a demon, prove I'm not Kyuubi. Then that's what I'll do! I'll prove to all of them! I will protect this village, and all of it's people, from traitors like you! And by the time I'm done, they'll be begging me to be Hokage! Dattebayo!"

"Lovely speech Naruto," Mizuki yawned, covering his mouth with one hand (and almost stabbing himself on the unusual weapon in the process). "But it takes more than pretty words to make things like that happen you know."

Naruto nodded in response. "I know, and I still have a test to pass. Don't I Mizuki-_sensei_" The traitor cocked an eyebrow at that comment. "I delivered the scroll as ordered. So, what would you score me for that?" Naruto asked, challenge ringing clearly in his words.

Mizuki glanced at the object that struck him, identifying it as the Scroll of Forbidden Seals and chuckled a bit, "Well kid, based on the criteria I named... I'd have given you a B+... but taking out a Kage in the process? That bumps you to an A+ easily. Not that it'll do you any good when you're dead... But at least you'll know you did something right before you go, you know?"

Iruka was staring at Naruto in shock. Taking out a Kage? What the hell did he miss today?

Naruto nodded again. "Then I guess that just leaves one thing to do. I'm ready for my ninjutsu evaluation. What do you say we make it a combat test? That sound appropriate _Sensei?_"

"Anytime you're ready fox brat."

Naruto's hands came up in a cross shaped sign. "Try not to die before you give me my grade, I'd hate to lose my chance to become a genin because you got weak on me." Naruto commented to Mizuki's ire. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

A cloud of chakra smoke filled the area blinding all three for a long second before revealing... a veritable army of identical figures.

**"How's this?" **the group roared. **"Is this a passing grade or what?"**

Mizuki looked around at the impossible event unfolding before his eyes. He swallowed heavily, he had always excelled at one on one combat, but against a horde this size?

He knew it was a bad day to leave the bar.

**"Well then, If you aren't gonna say anything... Then here we come!" ** In a rush of orange and yellow, the grand melee beat down of the traitor Mizuki began in earnest. The Naruto's were just sad that he didn't give them their extra credit before he passed out from the pain.

* * *

Minutes later Naruto and Iruka were the only conscious beings in the clearing. Iruka had bound his wounds to the best of his ability; then tied Mizuki up, with no regard to the man's comfort, should he awake.

"So..." Naruto began, "I really have the Kyuubi stuck inside me, huh?"

"I'm afraid so Naruto," his teacher replied. "You always have though, so don't think it changes anything about you. You... well, you just know about it now."

"Why was it such a secret anyway? And not even a good one. Was I the only person who didn't know?"

"I don't know. That's probably something you'll have to talk over with Hokage-sama. He's the one who made the law forbidding it's discussion after all."

"Aw, man." Naruto groaned, "And after all that effort, the stupid test was a total lie..."

"Mizuki did lie to you, Naruto, but that's doesn't mean..."

Iruka was interrupted by an odd whistling coming from the woods nearby, as Exploud staggered out. The purple pokemon had a number of puncture wounds from it's battle, and the skin surrounding the wounds was starting to turn gray around the edges.

"Exploud!" Iruka cried, "Damn, I need to get him medical help! Naruto, stay with Mizuki until the Anbu get here." Naruto waved a half-hearted affirmation as Iruka lifted the small but bulky pokemon into his arms and shot off into the night towards the village.

When the Anbu arrived, Naruto was sitting near Mizuki looking dejected and poking the unconscious man with a stick.

"Uzumaki-san?" one of the Anbu inquired in a feminine voice.

The boy nodded without looking up.

"Very well. My comrades will take the traitor to the T&I division holding cells. My orders are to bring you and the scroll to the Hokage at once.

Naruto stood without saying a word, and passed the scroll over to the woman. She meanwhile was feeling decidedly unsettled. Naruto Uzumaki was Never quiet, and Never this still. A glance at her team and their tense postures revealed their own apprehension. One had even tried to dispel, in case of a genjutsu.

"I'm ready to go now, Anbu-san," he said in a subdued voice.

The woman swallowed her concern, there was something wrong with the boy, that much was certain. But if anyone could set the boy to rights, it would be the venerable Sandaime.

"Very well then, Let us be off." She replied, before taking them both away in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Alrighty, that's the end of my first solo story chapter. To those who enjoy: please feel free to review. To those who don't: flame like a gassy magmar for all I care.

If anyone has questions about the way things will work in this story, feel free to ask. I will try to explain anything not inherently spoilery, either via PM or in author's notes. That being said I will answer a couple potential questions here.

1: Will anyone get a legendary pokemon?

No, the legendaries here will be essentially mini biju. There is one of each, and they are immortal. One on one, aside from Arceus, the Biju are much stronger, but that's mostly because there's so many more Legendary pokemon in the world. The legendaries will have their roles in the story, but the methods which bind a Pokemon to a Ninja will not work with them. They may assist ninja if their goals run parallel, but that will be a pretty rare circumstance. Also, there won't be a Jinchuuriki issue with the legendaries because that would be a surefire way to piss off Arceus.

2: Will Shikamaru or Chouji get a Snorlax?

Again, no. First off, I loathe Munchlax, and using Snorlax in a Ninja fight would just be strange. I've already decided which allies the 'Konoha twelve' will get as well as their teachers and a number of other noteworthy characters. However, at the time of this posting I certainly haven't finalized decisions on later partners. (most enemies from the Sasuke retrieval on, including Akatsuki) Some of the Pokemon chosen may seem odd, but I feel they're justifiably appropriate. The first hints of who will get what will come in chapter 2, with them being revealed by name in 3, at least in regards to the rookie nine. Others will be shown when appropriate, Team Gai during the chunin exams for example.

3: Will they be able to catch other Pokemon?

Also no. Pokeballs don't exist in this story, and anyone who devises a way to force pokemon to obey them, through seals or otherwise, will be a villain. With very few exceptions, there will be a strict 'One ninja, One pokemon' policy.

4: Will characters from Pokemon make an appearance?

Kinda. There will be a flashback chapter which is already mostly fleshed out in my noggin. This chapter will star Ash (Satoshi, whatever) and will explain the circumstances behind the elimination of pokeballs among other things.

I suppose in the interests of full disclosure I should say: I consider myself a Naruto/Hinata supporter. I doubt I'll tackle any relationship nonsense in the nearish future, but as you probably noticed: that will effect my writing to a degree. However I have nothing against other shipping... mostly. NaruSaku (where she remains abusive) NaruSasu or SasuHina (anytime after he attempts to murder Naruto) just seem unrealistic to me, although if Naruto were to somehow inspire a hatred for him in Hinata, that would make an interesting SasuHina concept.

Under no circumstances will a human/pokemon romantic relationship come into play in this story. Even in the case of the most human of pokemon I can't find anything about that natural. Nor will this contain Yaoi or Yuri, but that's simply a matter of personal preference.

Okay, the author's note has become too long, so I end it here. Hope to have the next chapter ready soon.

-Mhyrloc


	2. Arceus has a lot on his Plate

Note to self: Set more reasonable goals for what to complete each chapter

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi inhaled deeply from his ever present pipe, the nerve soothing herbs within sometimes seemed to be the only thing keeping the aged Hokage going. Sadly, this was shaping up to be one of those days. After the hectic events of the previous night, and the late debriefing of Naruto. (He was hesitant to use the term interrogation, but it nearly reached that point simply from sheer desperation when faced with the listless reactions.) He had settled in for one of the least restful nights of sleep that the aging leader could remember. Now, he sat here in the council chambers listening as a bitter little man preached the evils of Naruto Uzumaki.

Councilman Yokujuu was a brilliant orator, a moving politician, and above all a shrewd businessman. For these reasons, he was the acting head of the Civilian Council. The man had an extraordinary loathing for Naruto, especially when one considers that he had lost no loved ones in the tragedy of Kyuubi's attack. His only losses had been financial, and compared to the overall damages sustained by Konoha, even those had been relatively slight. However, these facts didn't prevent him from desiring his own measure of revenge. Many and varied were the proposals brought before the council: ranging from bills granting the council the right to bring dissension charges against any businesses who serve 'those undesirable and harmful to Konoha's well being' to a specific 'restitution tax' intended to force Naruto to pay for the property damage caused by Kyuubi before it's sealing. Needless to say, despite nearly unanimous support from the Civilian Council, the Ninja Council and Hokage overruled the motions vehemently.

Currently, the man was postulating that the 'woefully ill omened creature' had finally shown it's true treasonous and violent nature. Sarutobi thought himself to be a considerably tolerant ninja, but he found himself wishing yet again that the man would just call Naruto a demon child so he would have an excuse to execute the miserable worm. Sadly, he studiously avoided anything that might so much as glance at the so-called 'Third's Law'. Councilman Yokujuu had been going at it in this way for nearly an hour now, occasionally interrupted by agreeable comments from his civilian constituents. Most of the ninja council had guessed at the ultimate intention almost immediately, with the civilians who weren't in on his agenda figuring it out themselves at latest within the last few minutes. If the typical pattern continued, he would receive a subtle suggestion to wrap things up when he reached the somewhat arbitrarily decided limit to his speeches. Otherwise he would likely continue ranting until everyone who might disagree felt they'd had enough and left. Sarutobi contented himself with wondering which of his ninja would express their displeasure first, and in what manner.

In a move that was neither unexpected nor particularly satisfying, Shibi Aburame was the one to declare an end to Yokujuu's public display. The stoic Aburame had a less than amicable relationship with the judgmental Civilian Council, and his ability to intimidate with the subtlest of gestures was enough to even make Sarutobi jealous at times. With a simple shift of his body and mental suggestion to his internal hive to begin humming, the councilman's speech stumbled to a hasty end.

He cleared his throat one last time before delivering his final summary, a surprisingly short one when taken into account alongside his earlier vociferousness. "With these facts in mind, and having given significant consideration to events both current and past. We of the Civilian Council strongly suggest immediate sealing of Naruto Uzumaki. Following which, a further suggestion of execution be summarily effected." Many of the members of said Civilian Council were nodding emphatically, and even a smattering of applause followed the statement, which was quickly ended by the Hokage's glare.

"Am I to understand," Sarutobi clarified. "That as recompense for his actions in protecting both his teacher and the secrets of this village, you wish to have Naruto put to death?"

"Both of those situations to which you refer only came to be due to his own actions. Had he not treacherously stolen the scroll in the first place, there would have been no risk to the village," Yokujuu responded.

"Not counting the traitor wandering around," muttered Shikaku under his breath.

"While it was an act of poor judgment from Naruto," Sarutobi responded, ignoring the Nara's comment. "He was fulfilling a mission issued to him by his superior. The fact that said superior proved to be a traitor to Konoha does not imply ill intent from Naruto himself. Additionally, given that Mizuki sabotaged his final exam, it would imply that it was a premeditated act of coercion on Mizuki's part. Quite frankly put, had Mizuki not manipulated the testing, we would have moved past this pointless debate long ago. Unless of course, you were planning this even before the events of yesterday?" A few of the councilman's colleagues shifted nervously, but Yokujuu himself didn't so much as blink at the thinly veiled accusation. Leveling a steely gaze on the spokesman, Sarutobi made his ruling. "Naruto Uzumaki will not be executed for actions taken in pursuit of his unsanctioned graduation exam. To put it simply, the entire situation in no way falls under the Civilian Council's range of jurisdiction. Neither to advise, nor decide, in any manner regarding this event."

"Be that as it may, Hokage-sama," replied Yokujuu with an oily smile. "Uzumaki has failed his final exam, and as such is soon to become primarily our concern. What matters a few days in the grand scheme of things? But if you insist, we will retract our suggestions until after his sealing. After all, it's not like you can just retest him. The political ramifications of such a blatant act of favoritism could be rather severe."

"Now listen here you weasely little shit!" Tsume Inuzuka shouted, slamming her hand on the table and rising to glare at the councilman. "You think you can come in here and just threaten the Hokage? Keep this crap up and I'll drag your ass out of here and feed you to..."

"ENOUGH!" roared the normally calm Hokage. "Councilman Yokujuu is correct in this matter. It would hardly be fair to the other students who failed, if we were to retest Naruto alone, and retesting them all would set a bad prescident for future years. However, I suggest you councilors, civilian and ninja alike remember one thing..." Sarutobi released enough of his killing intent that even the bravest of his ninja found themselves nearly hyperventilating. "I am the Hokage for a reason," he stated calmly, "and this is not a democracy. This is a military village, and as such, my word is law. My decisions are final. And any acts of sedition will be dealt with in a most assuredly permanent manner." He leveled his gaze at the trembling Civilian Council as he said that. "I will decide how to handle the situation in the most effective manner," he decided, reigning in his presence. "There are matters involved here that not even my closest advisers fully appreciate, and I will not risk the Kyuubi being released due to an error made in haste. Nor will I sacrifice a member of this village simply to sate the desires of those who still believe an innocent boy to be a demon."

"But Hokage-sama," a councilwoman inquired. "Kitsune are known to be tricksters, wouldn't Uzumaki's pranks be the sort of thing we should expect from one?"

"Perhaps," The Hokage conceded. "But tell me: how many of those who have insulted or otherwise harmed Naruto were slain by the boy? Or simply vanished? None to my knowledge. Trust me when I say: Kyuubi was as vengeful as it was powerful. If Naruto were Kyuubi, we would have known long ago, if only by the trail of broken bodies left in his wake." The councils, both ninja and civilian shared uneasy glances from that mental image. "As a Jinchuuriki, there is the chance that Naruto will one day have access to a portion of Kyuubi's strength. Assuming he becomes a ninja that is. And when that happens, how he acts, and who he becomes, will rely heavily on his experiences. I have done what I can to make certain that he sees this village as a home worth protecting, with all the strength at his disposal. How many of you can say the same? Who among you have given the child reason to see you as anything but monsters as you claim him to be?" Sarutobi let the question hang, he knew his words wouldn't sway the more vocal of Naruto's detractors, but some of those who had interacted with the boy personally looked uncertain. The old Hokage exhaled another cloud of pungent smoke, "I believe we have pursued this particular matter as far as is necessary for one day. If there is nothing further for joint discussion, the Civilian council is dismissed. The ninja council and I must discuss matters relating to the ceremony... Oh, and do keep in mind, that all things discussed in these chambers are confidential, and any rumors which may happen to develop in the streets of Konoha will be pursued to their origin."

After a few moments of quiet murmurs, Yokujuu stood and bowed to the Hokage. "Then I suppose this is the end of today's meeting. It was a pleasure as always Hokage-sama," the sour note in his voice was not missed by any of the ninja present. The Civilian council rose and trickled out the door.

"If there are no objections," a bandaged form stated in a voice that suggested there not be one. "I would like to remain, in the interests of bipartisanship of course."

The Sandaime's eyes narrowed in thought, an action shared to some degree or another by many of the ninja in the room. The speaker, Danzo Shimura, was the official mediator for the separate councils. A former jounin and at one time Hiruzen Sarutobi's rival for position of Hokage. He was forced to resign due to injuries received in the last ninja world war. The injuries, sustained from an exploding Golem in a battle against a ninja from Iwagakure heavily damaged his right side, rendering his arm and one eye useless, and leaving his leg crippled too badly for most combat needs. In fact, it was only the intervention of Danzo's Shiftry that prevented his demise, to the unfortunate end of the pokemon itself. Danzo was a known opponent of Sarutobi's more peace oriented aspirations, but the Hokage couldn't think of any reason to object to his presence in the coming discussion.

"Very well, I see no harm in it. And certainly your own perspective might be of aid in the matter of Naruto Uzumaki," the Hokage allowed, subtly hinting at the Root leader's experience in finding ways around issues of legality.

"What do you mean?" asked Chouza Akimichi. "I thought you said he couldn't retake the test? If he can't retake it, and he failed it the three times he did, what other option is there?"

"That would be the foremost matter on today's agenda," replied Sarutobi. "I declined to mention it to the civilian council for obvious reasons, but sealing Naruto is simply not an option. The Shiki Fujin and eight trigrams seals used to bind the Kyuubi simply present too much of an unknown for us to risk applying unnecessary modifications, and to do so would risk an unpredictable and possibly violent reaction. I have already consulted with Jiraiya, and studied the scrolls Yondaime left on the Shiki Fujin, but neither he nor I are confident enough to guess at it's degree of safety. Especially considering the two sealing arrays would work counter to each other."

Anko Mitarashi piped in a sarcastic tone, "You mean how one's designed to limit chakra and the other is constantly forcing more into his body? I can't possibly see how that could be dangerous... well aside from turning the kid into a walking bomb when one of 'em finally breaks."

"Killing Naruto, and resulting in either massive destruction of whatever is around him, or the release of Kyuubi," continued Inoichi Yamanaka. "I don't know about the rest of you, but neither of those sound like very pleasant options to me."

"Indeed," confirmed Sarutobi. "I have ordered Naruto to spend the day recovering from his ordeal, but I have asked Iruka-san and Neko-san to be here." He gestured to a cat masked Anbu who had been conspicuously visible since the beginning of the meeting, and the sleepy looking teacher who somehow managed to fade into the background, despite his irritation at certain councilors. "They, in addition to the recorded report from Naruto himself should give us a mostly complete view of the events." With that said, he retrieved a blue crystal about the size of his palm from within his robes and placed it on a specialized seal in front of him meant for such things. "I believe we should listen to Naruto's side of things first, since he was the most involved."

"Forgive my interruption, Hokage-sama," interjected Iruka. "But if you plan to pass Naruto somehow, shouldn't we give him one of the Arceus Plates? If he's spending the day resting anyway, he should certainly be given the opportunity to attune himself to whatever pokemon will most suit him..."

Sarutobi chuckled, "If Naruto hasn't made enough of an impression by now, I doubt a few hours will help any." Seeing Iruka's puzzled look mirrored on many of the ninja, and blank ones on the rest, aside from Danzo and Hiashi's nearly unreadable expressions, he decided to clarify. "Do you remember two years ago, when one of the Arceus plates disappeared?" he asked Iruka, who nodded a moment before he connected the obviously linked comment.

"You mean Naruto's had one for all this time?" he exclaimed. "How is that even possible? Don't they automatically return to where they belong? It's supposed to be impossible for anyone to steal them for that reason."

"Apparently, Arceus believes that plate is where it belongs. At least until Naruto trades it for his headband." Sarutobi replied. The ninja seemed even more surprised at that, implied approval from what amounted to a divine being among pokemon was impressive for anyone, let alone a dead last student.

"So... the question is not 'should we pass him'," pondered Danzo after a long moment. "But rather, by what criteria can we do so without risking civil unrest... Perhaps we should hear the boy's side of the tale, if nothing else it will give us time to accept these odd revelations."

Gazing around to see if anyone had comments to add, Sarutobi touched the seal array surrounding the crystal and settled back to hear again the sad voice that haunted his sleep the night before.

* * *

In a realm of not-space, where both time and dimension flow at the whim of it's sole inhabitant, a set of green eyes opened and looked out over a row of shimmering windows floating before them. Back-lit by a field of infinite stars, nearly a score hovered in position, awaiting his attention.

Arceus: God of Pokemon, and one of the few beings alive who could match the fury of a bijuu, shook itself and stood from it's prior lounged position. The nearly equine being paced regally towards the portals through which he would view the potential ninja of this village and swept his gaze across them.

Of the seventeen, only eight bore the images of students in some form of meditation, even so loosely as this particular village would describe it. With barely a thought, these moved away from the rest, lining themselves up for further consideration. The remaining nine held the alpha Pokemon's attention for the moment. Opening a larger window, he swept his secondhand gaze across Konoha, seeking those attuned to the unattended plates with unerring accuracy. All were civilian children, and all were occupied in some form of frivolity or another: Be it sleeping, celebrating, or simply going about there lives as if it were a normal day off from school.

Arceus searched the hearts and minds of these potential partners, looking for those who were following the ancient pact in spirit if not letter. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Most thought little of their future pokemon, and those few who did, thought in such a manner as to imply that the creatures would be little more than pets. As if even the most unique of common animal could stand beside the least of pokemon as an equal. He turned away, and with another thought, the empty windows moved away, lining themselves higher in the not-sky so as to be out of the way, but within sight, in case one of the students rethought their decision and chose to return. If they did not make contact before the sun set, so too would their chances for attending the ceremony this year fade into darkness.

Striding toward the first of the attended windows, Arceus looked upon the large form of one Chouji Akimichi. The boy was idly looking through a large scroll, in what seemed to be a ceremonial chamber built for this day. Scattered around the largish room were paintings and sculptures of pokemon bound to their clan, both in the past and in recent times. Closing his eyes, the legendary leader cast his mind towards his target, feeling his thoughts and reading his emotions.

_'Dad said I should read these stories,' _Chouji thought. _'He even said I'll be expected to add my own stories once I get my pokemon... It seems Akimichi have always had pokemon with strong defenses... But what kind would be best? Great-grandad had a rock type called Rhyperior, but Uncle Kuike had the steel type Exadrill, and Dad has his normal type Kangaskhan... Most of my family seem to have had either stone or steel types, but how do I choose which is best for me? Dad once told me: 'The Will of Fire is the origin of all of Konoha's strength. Steel is only as strong as the flame that tempered it, and the most durable rocks of all are created by the fiery volcano.' So maybe I should be thinking about fire types instead? No, that wouldn't be good. Whatever I get, Steel or Stone or anything else, I'll just use my own will of fire to make it the strongest it can possibly be. And together we'll protect all our friends. That's the Cho legacy.'_

Arceus pulled his thoughts back from the now avidly reading boy. "Steel or stone he wonders," the pokemon muttered to himself. "Well, far be it from me to force the issue." With a moment's concentration, an egg appeared floating before the now opaque window. The egg was large, nearly the size of it's future recipient's head, and possessed a dark gray coloration that seemed to reflect the ever present starlight in a polished sheen.

* * *

Nodding in satisfaction, Arceus moved on to the next of his subjects... Almost fully veiled by his typical outfit, Shino Aburame knelt in a meadow within his family's compound. His eyes were closed, not that a casual observer would notice, and he meditated while listening to the buzz of his own hive as it communed with the wild insects flitting through the field around him.

_'It is said that the traits of one's pokemon effect the development of one's kikaichu...' _the stoic boy considered._ 'My father's have grown more durable through their association with his Heracross, while those of my clan who possess toxic allies have gained more varied capabilities, especially in regards to their bites. The question posed then: Which is more beneficial to myself, my hive, and my future teammates? Insects are notoriously fragile, even among their pokemon constituents. So any improvements in that regard would be assuredly welcome. However, it is said that the best defense is a good offense... so would a strong attacker not be more beneficial? But perhaps balance is the key. If one cannot have the best of both options, surely a compromise is not unthinkable? _

As the Aburame's thoughts wound back and forth in a seemingly endless cycle of consideration, Arceus drew back once more. "There are many kinds of balance in the world," he commented to the darkening window before him. "I wonder if you will fully appreciate the potential before you." Turning away to the next portal, he left behind him an egg of slightly smaller size than the first. This egg was a muted white, traced with a curious pattern of pale lines.

* * *

The third opened upon an argument of sorts...

"Ugh! Mom, I know what I'm doing! I'm here, the plate's here, and I'm surrounded by inspiration!" This last part was said in a cheerful voice as the girl spun whimsically around her family's flower shop.

"Ino, honey. Your father and I talked, and we would really rather you spend your day focusing properly. You wouldn't want to get some horrid poison type like cousin Akubi with that gross little Grimer of his," the girl's mother reproached.

"As if that'll really happen. A delicate flower such as myself obviously deserves a grass type, just like Dad's Vileplume. Except cuter and more elegant in every way!" Ino Yamanaka continued silently: '_And when I get my pokemon Sasuke-kun is sure to choose me over Forehead! It's practically guaranteed!'_

Noticing the distracted expression on the girl, her mother released an exasperated sigh. "This is about that Uchiha boy again isn't it? Ino. Go home. No matter what you might be hoping, he isn't going to be wandering around, especially today."

Ino's expression shifted almost instantly from dazed to surprised to disappointment, before settling into a childish huff. "You don't know that. Maybe Sasuke-kun will want to talk about team ideas? We might end up training together every day..." she trailed off into a girlish giggle.

"Ino! Home. Now."

"Please, Mom, can't I stay? Just for a couple more hours?" Ino begged with a pout while fluttering her eyelashes in what she thought was a particularly lovely manner.

"Hmm... No. And you know that look doesn't work on me. I mastered it before you were even born. In fact, I used that very same pout on your father the day I told him I wanted to have a baby. And she turned out so darn cute!"

Ino ducked the fingers aimed for her cheeks fast enough to surprise a Jounin and ran for home, swearing to never use that look again... _'At least on anyone but Sasuke-kun' _

Arceus shook it's head at the peculiar display of familial affection as he left the window, a dark blue-violet egg with thick green leaflike designs pointing town from it's peak floating in place before it.

* * *

Within the fourth, a different sort of interaction was taking place. Two people: An older bearded man and a young dark eyed boy were bent over a board bearing wooden tiles.

"All I'm sayin' Shikamaru, is that you should really put a little thought into this. It's not like it'll take any more effort than playing this game," the elder commented, his tone implying he'd repeated similar advise throughout the day.

"I still don't think it's that big a deal. I brought the plate like you asked, so whatever Arceus wants to know he can just take a peek and figure out. It's not like what pokemon I get will matter in the long run, right?" The unmotivated Nara replied.

"Don't be so sure about that," Asuma Sarutobi replied as he moved a piece on the game board and took a drag from his cigarette. "I've seen more Pokemon than just about anyone in the village, so trust me when I say: You don't want just any at your side."

The boy snorted as he moved his own piece. "You're tellin' me you've seen more than even the Hokage? Isn't that a bit of a stretch?"

"Not at all, I wasn't always stuck in Konoha you know. Back in the day I was one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, protectors of the Daimyo of Fire himself. While it's true, Sarutobi might have seen more Pokemon in combat than I have. The Daimyo had a lot of meetings with foreign diplomats, and every one of them had ninja escorts. I've seen a whole lot of things, people and pokemon over the years. I remember one monkey thing I saw a few years back, Vigoroth I think it was called, you would hate to be stuck with one of them. Damn thing never stood still. Then there's those Slowpoke things, so dumb it takes an hour for it to realize you stepped on it's tail. And of course there's your teacher's Exploud, I'm sure you'd rather not get one of them," Asuma chuckled at Shikamaru's sour expression. Don't worry, there's a whole lot of Pokemon in this world, I'm sure Arceus can find one even you won't consider troublesome."

"Yeah, well that doesn't really help now. I mean, what am I supposed to do anyway? It's not like there's a category of Pokemon called 'not troublesome' I can just check on this thing," he remarked, tapping the nearby plate.

"Just think about the things you like, what you wanna do with your life, stuff like that. You don't have to be too specific, but if it helps, think about this," he gestured to the game board. "Some pokemon are smarter than I am easily, I'm sure there are at least a few who can not only learn to play Shougi but can give even you a run for your money in time. Just don't judge the pokemon you get too harshly at first. Almost all of 'em get stronger and smarter as they grow. Hell, some end up completely different in the end. You should know, Iruka started out with a lil thing shorter than my knee that couldn't stand a loud cough from too close."

Shikamaru stared at his mentor for a long moment before shaking his head in amazement. _'Guess there's more to Pokemon than I realized... But could they really learn to play complicated games like Shougi?' "_Hey," he asked "What's the smartest one you've ever seen?"

"Personally? I don't really know, it's not like I had a whole lot of interaction with the visiting ones back in the Guardians..." Asuma's eyes faded into the distance at his next words, "But the smartest I've ever heard of? That would definitely be Yondaime's Alakazam. From what Sarutobi said when I was young, that thing was a certified genius... Course I doubt Yondaime ever tried teaching it to play games, but the war probably had a lot to do with that."

With that sobering thought in mind, Shikamaru turned his focus inward, unconsciously falling into his standard thinking pose. _'If Asuma is right, maybe there would be something out there that would pair well with me... But maybe I haven't been taking this seriously enough? I don't want to get too far in life, that would just be way too troublesome. But I definitely need something just in case things go wrong like they did in the past. Okay, If you're listening Arceus, here's my wish list: A lot of brains, some muscle to back it up, and please for the love of everything sacred make it less annoying than Ino'_

Arceus blinked at the unusually forward requests... then with an odd looking shrug, made it's choice. "The boy wants a lot of brains... and strength as well... I believe I know just the ally for him." That said, he turned and with a wave of his tail another egg appeared. This one was coated with geometric patterns in varied shades of blue.

* * *

The fifth window held an image that caught the God Pokemon's attention more fully than the others thus far witnessed: a dark haired girl knelt in front of her plate, silently weeping while tightly clutching an amateurishly made blond doll.

Hinata Hyuuga was distraught. She knew she had an obligation, both to uphold the exalted status of her clan and to honor the pact formed with the Legendary Pokemon made when the village of Konoha was founded... But she couldn't get one thought to stop haunting her: Naruto-kun failed. That wasn't uncommon, Naruto-kun failed almost as often as she did. But the boy always got back up and tried again, and again, and again. If he fell a hundred, or even a thousand times, she knew deep in her heart that he would get up and succeed eventually. Her despair grew from the simple fact that the exams were, as near as she could tell, ironclad. Even the vaunted Byakugan, the ultimate doujutsu of perception, couldn't see an option that would allow her secret (or not so secret to most of her classmates) crush to continue as an aspiring ninja.

_"I should be thinking about pokemon, so that I can become a strong heiress and lead my clan as well as my father...' _her thoughts read._ 'But if Naruto-kun can't be a ninja at all, what chance do I have to become a strong enough one to impress the elders?'_

"Oh N-naru-chan, what d-do I d-do?" she asked tearily gazing into the blue felt eyes of the painstakingly crafted doll in her arms. She had made it herself not long ago, after learning to sew simple quilts. The peaceful process had become something of a touchstone to keep her close to her lost mother. The kind woman had made many in her life, and Hinata had a treasure box hidden in her closet which held the last one her mother had made for her before her death, and until recently had also held Hanabi's first. Hinata had given it to her younger sister in secret on her last birthday,now that the girl was old enough to appreciate it, as a memento of the mother who had died shortly after completing it, due to complications during labor. She was too afraid to show her feelings to the unpredictable object of her affections, and so had made Naru-chan to help her become more comfortable with the idea... sadly, progress was slow in coming.

The doll looked at her, the permanently soft smile and happy eyes that had given her so much trouble creating giving no answers. However, they did hold a memory: It had taken Hinata a mere couple months to get Naru-chan's body finished, complete with a near exact copy of the jumpsuit that was so synonymous with the real Naruto. She had felt that would be the hardest part of the process. She was wrong, very wrong. Despite being able to see his smile, the one that seemed too large for his face and forced his eyes shut (a crime in her mind: no matter what, such beautiful eyes should never be hidden) every time she thought of him. It looked so artificial every time she set it to cloth. She resolved that she must be missing something, some inherent aspect of what made Naruto who he is. Thus decided she increased her stalki... reconnaissance practice. She watched him: in school, in training, around the village, everywhere she could manage without feeling like she was violating his privacy. Nothing came of this enhanced espionage, until one day she spotted him cleaning. For some reason there was an assortment of strange residues spread across the outside of his apartment, but rather than being upset, he was scrubbing like it was nothing unusual. In fact, he was laughing and talking... to the door of all things... This was the first time she had seen a smile other than the giant one he always used, and it took her breath away. It wasn't an expression that screamed 'I'm happy and you can't stop me' like his normal one. This one seemed to make his eyes sparkle and make the sun wish to hide from the shame of being outshone. After that day, she started to look more closely, and she realized: The giant smile was a shield, sometimes it was real enough, but the reality was always expanded upon. As if by pretending to be happier than he was, he could make it true. It made the girl sad, especially when she remembered the times she had inadvertently hurt him.

The most poignant of those memories was the last time they had sparred. It was early in her final year, she and Naruto had been assigned together for a ranking spar in Taijutsu. Hinata was frankly terrified. It was Naruto-kun. What if she hurt him? What if she embarrassed him? Would he hate her in either case? But what if she let him beat her? Would he think she was weak and start looking at her like the elders did? She wasn't sure she could handle it if the boy of her dreams started looking at her with eyes full of utter disdain. What if...?

As her thoughts circled without end, she got more and more nervous, not noticing the expression of sorrow on Naruto's face. She came from her thoughts with a flinch as she heard a savage smack of flesh on flesh. She looked up slowly, as neither pain nor even the feel of impact seemed to register. Across from her, Naruto was picking himself off the ground outside the sparring circle, a dark bruise forming on his cheek. Coming from the students around them were numerous insults, interspersed with the occasional bark of laughter.

"Damn," Naruto had exclaimed. "That guy hits hard!"

"Naruto," Iruka replied, massaging his temple as if to ward off a headache. "You realize you just disqualified yourself right?"

"Hey! That was a knockout, I was down for a full ten seconds!"

"Fine, you knocked yourself out. But since you both knocked someone out and were knocked out in one hit, it averages to a zero. The match is done, get back in line you two"

Hinata was shocked, Naruto had done something like that for her? Why would he do that? Maybe he liked her? Her gaze tracked the blond boy, until he looked back at her with an expression that shattered those half formed hopes. She didn't know how to describe it, but she never wanted to see that blend of sadness and guilt in his eyes ever again. At that point, she decided on a new short term goal for herself. She was going to beat Naruto-kun in a spar, so she never had to risk seeing that expression again... and maybe if she were lucky she would be able to nurse him back to health... That particular mental image haunted her dreams off and on for the rest of the school year. She had even considered buying an outfit to wear in case it came to be, but was thwarted by her unusually rapid growth... in some areas anyway. Despite her plans, Iruka-sensei seemed unwilling to cooperate, they had never been paired again, not even when she requested it specifically. Apparently, they were too far apart in the rankings for her to request an opponent her inferior.

As she stared at the doll, her thoughts swirling, she realized something important: No matter her bloodline, or the expectations she would have to fulfill in the future. At the moment, she was just an academy student. Nothing she could do would aid Naruto-kun, and unless she had some brilliant idea to help him, she had no choice but to trust him to overcome this obstacle on his own... so like always, she would have to watch from afar and hope for the best... '_Damn this being weak... um, pardon my language Arceus-sama' _She thought. Looking from the doll to the Plate and it's scrolling figures and decided. _'I will become strong, strong enough to stand beside Naruto-kun when he becomes Hokage. And if I can manage that, getting rid of the cage bird-seal will be easy, right, Naru-chan?' _ she thought smiling for the first time that day.

Arceus... well, was confused. The girl was obsessed with the boy, Naruto. But in all that mess, she hadn't given him much to work with. Just the knowledge that she wanted to become strong, and that she had two long term goals to achieve. He knew of the seal used by the Hyuuga, a number of their more foolish members had tried to apply a similar restraint to the Pokemon paired with them long ago. Arceus was certain the collective response of Legendary might and subsequent punishment of those humans responsible was sufficient to deter a repeat event. Personally, Arceus approved of the elimination of the seal, although he would not act directly against it, due to his own decisions to remain uninvolved in purely human matters. As to the second goal... well, Arceus was somewhat acquainted with Naruto. A mild way of putting it to be sure, he considered as he glanced to the only long term window in his realm with it's egg floating before it.

He sent a thought-picture to the underdeveloped being within the two year old egg and frowned at the response. Unknown to many, the Pokemon eggs chosen for assignment were blessed with an ability to understand and relate to humans, much more so than the average wild pokemon. And the egg Arceus had chosen for the precocious jinchuuriki was of a species more inclined to it than most. As a result the egg had remained, patiently waiting and observing it's future partner in an amorphous way. Sadly, it's response thought-form was that Naruto had no idea of the feelings from the poor girl.

Arceus thought for a time, still watching as the girl rocked on her knees, chatting amiably, if stammeringly, with the doll. Discussing various plans for the future, speculating at the location of (in her mind) her and Naruto-kun's inevitable first date, and various other unimportant matters. Shortly, a thought passed through his mind, one he hastily decided came from too much watching of a certain blond prankster... but the more he considered it... the more interesting it seemed... With a chuckle and a wave of it's tail, he left an egg behind him colored in two tones of red. A solid maroon on top, with a slightly darker red forming a design like curling waves surrounding it's base.

* * *

In a training field, Arceus observed Sasuke Uchiha through the sixth opening. The area around him stood testament to a long day of exercise: posts were damaged, targets were pin-cushioned with varied throwing weapons, and burn scars marred everything.

_'Still not strong enough,' _the avenger's thoughts revealed. _'I have to get stronger, to avenge my family and restore my clan to it's proper place. But soon... Tomorrow I take the first real step towards catching up with Him. Once I have my Pokemon, we train, we get stronger and when we're ready... vengeance shall be mine!" _This decision was punctuated by a punch drove a crack into the training post nearly halfway through. As he examined the damage, Arceus could feel the words again, almost a mantra _'still not strong enough...'_

Arceus could feel the dark emotions writhing in his heart, just as he could feel the sparks of light that prevented the boy from being irredeemable. It would be a risk, giving someone as shadowed by anger as him a pokemon... But with the right one to act as guidance, he might find his way back to the proper perspective so long abandoned by his forebears. Thus decided, an egg appeared before him. Orange as a setting sun, and with bands of a lighter cream color circling it in the spiked waves of a flickering flame, the egg floated exuding a sense of eagerness. The god pokemon was confident that he had chosen well in this case. This particular species had always been spirited, and had something of a tradition of clashing with those who went against their code of honor... or even just annoyed them. But their strength would undoubtedly impress the Uchiha, and if he were to take after them in temperament it could only be an improvement over the hateful aura that seemed to haunt him.

* * *

Yet another dispute proceeded within the seventh. This one however was a full scale argument.

Listen here you little turd!" roared a wild faced woman, the twin fang-like marks making her look fierce despite her normally kind disposition. "My Dustox is not a lame pokemon! You apologize right now!"

"I'm sorry you got a weak Pokemon!" Her opponent countered cockily. Kiba Inuzuka, once again was trying to exercise his supposed dominance against someone he had no business provoking. Which is why it wasn't particularly surprising when he found himself pinned to the wall a foot off the ground by his irate sister. "You're just jealous I'm gonna get a stronger and cooler pokemon than you!" Kiba croaked out through his sister's strangling.

"There's more to a pokemon than being strong," Hana replied, relenting slightly as the younger began turning odd colors. "Dustox isn't strong, but she is very good at what she does. Isn't that right Dusty?" she cooed at the moth-like creature hovering nearby. It's reply was a happy sounding iteration of it's name.

"Yeah yeah, but I'm still gonna get me one strong enough to take your big bug out in one shot. And then who'll be next in line to be clan head, huh? I'll be number one, that's who! And then I'll have my pick of the babes!" His expression at the end was one of perverse glee that only Jiraiya of the sannin would be proud to display.

Hana sent her brother a disgusted look, amazed at the depths of depravity to which an adolescent boy could descend. "Damn, you're like a dog with a bone! If this is the stupid crap you're gonna spend your day thinking about then I hope you get exactly what you deserve. You are so damn hardheaded!" Her declaration complete, she stomped out of Kiba's room and slammed the door behind her.

Kiba, his perverse grin still in place, replied in a voice he was certain she wouldn't hear: "Hard as a rock, and that's how the chicks like it." Unfortunately for Kiba, he hadn't noticed that Dustox had been locked in the room with him. The pokemon decided to punish the comment in her master's stead (as well as claim it's own measure of payback for certain remarks), and released enough stunning powder from it's wings to leave the boy in paralyzed displeasure until the following morning. It's task complete, it banished itself in a flash of light. Silent witness to the event, Akamaru hopped from his position on the bed and dragged a blanket onto his partner, attempting to provide some degree of comfort.

"Well, that was certainly... unique," he muttered. "And not a whole lot to work with either... 'Strong and cool' an ice type perhaps? No, humans don't mean cold when they say cool... so that just leaves strong. Strong enough to take out a Dustox in one hit anyway." Unfortunately, looking deeper into the boy's psyche revealed little of assistance: a strong sense of loyalty, occasionally overshadowed by a typical human male's libido. Thinking to the woman's comments, he tried to glean what he could in the way of insight. Inspiration hit him as he pondered the matter. The pokemon he had in mind would be difficult to obtain, even for him, but it would also be the perfect opportunity to resolve a matter that had been brought before him by another Legendary in the not so distant past. Sending a message along the psychic pathways established to link the Legendaries for communication and to provide mutual aid in times of crisis, Arceus summoned one of his more eccentric of allies.

In a swirl of leaves, Celebi appeared and clapped her small fist to her chest in a Konoha style salute. "You summoned me Inoukaijukage-sama?" The diminutive Time Travel pokemon stated.

Arceus gazed at his compatriot, one of the few pokemon in the world who had taken to way of their ninja co-inhabitants with a vigor. Celebi had somehow decided that the ninja of the village hidden in the leaves were just as much 'Guardians of the Forest' as she herself was. Once that happened, it was only a matter of time before she decided to try out the ninja lifestyle herself. In a peculiar blend of the Leaf Storm and Teleport abilities, she had even managed to duplicate a passable Shunshin mimicry. A side effect of this odd obsession was that Arceus almost always had eyes on Konoha beyond the Legendary already assigned to fulfill their side of the graduation ceremony. Arceus had many times in the last century attempted to do away with the ridiculous title, but it was hard to do when he was never sure if each time he saw Celebi was from before or after the last time he had made the attempt... Living outside of the flow of time was a confusing prospect, even for a nigh omnipotent being.

"As I'm sure you know: the students within Konoha's academy have contacted me seeking their allies." Seeing Celebi's eager nod, Arceus continued, "I have come upon circumstances which prompt me to acquire a pokemon outside the norm, regarding that matter we discussed last time you sought me in fact."

"Do you wish me to arrange for the transfer Arceus-sama? I have already discussed it with Kyogre and Groudon, and they agreed to help. It wasn't easy, but I managed to convince them!" the faerie-like creature would probably been bouncing, if it hadn't been flying a few feet off the ground ever since it realized what Arceus was getting at.

"And you have already determined an appropriate place to build the habitat?" the Legendary leader inquired, quirking what would have been an eyebrow if it had them.

"Yup yup! Just off shore from the land of Lightning there are deposits of everything we need, even an underground spring, the whole place will be self sustaining, I guarantee it!"

"Very well," Arceus allowed, "But before you proceed, I need you to bring me..."

"Already got it, Arceus-sama."

The Alpha pokemon turned to the already tinted window beyond which Kiba rested fitfully. A second Celebi hovered there expectantly, holding an egg larger than itself. The egg held a simple coloration: half gray, and half blue, with the division between the two a zigzagging design. "Sometimes, Celebi, I think you do that just to make me look foolish."

"Do what, Arceus-sama?" The creature who now existed twice at one time asked simultaneously.

Arceus blinked as he tried to make sense of it, then with a shake of his head decided it wasn't worth the effort. "Nevermind, proceed with your idea, but try not to startle the locals too badly."

"Yes, Inoukaijukage-sama!" the two exclaimed, before vanishing in identical shunshin replicas. In the realm of not-space behind them, Arceus wished that old myth about him having a thousand arms (and more importantly the hands included) were true, he could use a temple massage right now...

* * *

Sighing, he decided to move to the last of the current batch of occupied windows. After what he had encountered so far, he felt himself prepared for everything... Well, the pink hair was a bit startling... and the photographs wallpapering her room were a bit more so. Thankfully the girl seemed to be flipping through a book on pokemon, apparently a guide to the various types and species known to Konoha and it's allies.

_'I'm gonna get my pokemon tomorrow!' _Sakura Haruno somehow squeed inside her own mind. _'I'm gonna get one so strong, and beautiful, and all around better than Ino-pig that Sasuke-kun will be sure to fall in love with me!'_

_'...is every girl in this village boy crazy?" _ Arceus couldn't help but wonder, as the girls thoughts and mental images converged in a rather disturbing display.

_'I wonder what type Sasuke-kun will get? Maybe he'll get a rock type? __**Mmm chiseled abs... '**__Or maybe a fighting type?' __**Sweaty glistening muscles '**__Maybe a dark type?' __**Shadowed glances that she sometimes imagined hid deep wells of longing for her**__ 'Ooooooh! Fire! Definitely fire! __**A hundred images of times Sakura looked at Sasuke and felt he was hot enough to burn a lesser woman**__ 'I wish I could get a Sasuke type...' __**An image of Sasuke, holding her close while they bore matching rune marks on their forearms...**__ 'Ooh Sasuke-kun' _the girl sighed mentally while following that mental path until her face was a brighter shade than her hair.

Arceus watched as the girl rolled on the floor clutching the book tightly in her arms, clearly in the grips of some fangirlish dream-scape.

As he stepped away from the window and gathered his thoughts he realized... not once had the girl given him a clear idea what she wanted. The strongest thought she had as to what she wanted was the approval of the boy of her dreams, Sasuke Uchiha... Well, that and that nonsensical fantasy about Sasuke type pokemon...

Preparing himself for a deeper look into the girls psyche, he focused on her once more.

_'Ohhh, Sasuke-kun. Please be more gentle,'_

Only to decide he had already been as deep within the strange girl's mind as he was willing to go._ 'Okay, fine," _Arceus decided._ 'I have no clue what she wants, or what that boy might want from her. And I really don't want to have to go back in there ever again. I'll just give her a chance to figure it out herself._

So decided, Arceus turned and left with more haste than dignity. Behind him, a brown egg with a tan zigzag circling it's middle exuded a puzzled emotion.

* * *

After the exhausting series of events so far, and another glimpse at those portals which remained unoccupied, he decided to have a look into the lone remaining window. Walking up to stand beside the egg that had been unofficial roommate to the God of Pokemon for two years, he glanced at it. This egg was an almost pure white, with green lines flowing down from it's peak, but fading before they reached the bottom. As it slowly rotated in position flickers of red would occasionally glint from it, as if there were glitter mixed into it's shell. Feeling a sense of concern flowing from the near sentient thing, he turned his gaze upon the window, and the dejected looking boy within.

Arceus was puzzled. Every time he had looked into this particular window, Naruto Uzumaki had been in a state of near perpetual activity, as if the very act of being still was uncomfortable. But today he seemed listless, as if all energy had been drained away. Seeking answers, he chose to look into the boy's mind.

_'I could ask Teuchi-jiisan if he has work at the ramen shop, but he and Ayame-neechan have it handled pretty easy most days. If they let me keep my chakra, I could work in the lumber mill easy... but that's not gonna happen. I don't think any place that really knows about Kyuubi will hire me. I guess I'll have to see if Sarutobi-jiji has any ideas about work outside the village... It'll really suck having to leave, but I guess it's better than living on the streets.' _The boy's thoughts were, if anything, more disheartening than his expression lead Arceus to believe. Sifting through the boys recent memories proved more horrifying than depressing, the boy had been through a nearly unimaginable ordeal in the last day.

Wrenching his mind from the boy's thoughts, he couldn't help but remember the day he had first encountered him. He had finished assigning pokemon quickly that year, a combination of simple desires and low graduation rates had made the task rather easy. As he settled down to rest and observe the world as it continued in it's complex and wondrous flow, he was interrupted by another of his plates coming active. Looking to it, he saw that the area around the plate was dark, night had apparently fallen in Konoha without his notice. Altering the view, he gazed around, his eyes piercing the veil of shadows with ease. He was amused to observe a ten year old child sneaking about, the relatively large object clutched tightly to him. Arceus decided to peek into the boys heart, the situation was too peculiar to be a simple case of traitorous intent.

_'Alright!'_ the young Uzumaki crowed mentally. _ 'I got it! Now I just gotta figure out how this thing works, and I can get me a Pokemon! Well, I still gotta pass the test and become a ninja first, but I'll get it next time! Dattebayo!' _

_'Dattebayo? What a strange word,' _Arceus had thought, and even to the current day, he had never managed to puzzle out what the term meant.

Looking deeper, the ancient being was shocked, the boy lived a life that no being should ever be forced to. It didn't take much searching to determine the reason for the child's forced solitude, the mark of a bijuu was imprinted on his very soul. The bijuu and Legendaries had stood opposed for years beyond human memory, but never had they judged the so called jinchuuriki for the crimes of their prisoners. Once, Mewtwo had explained it as "An act so short sighted only a human would consider it." The first of the artificially created legendaries never quite lost his scorn of the human race, but even he gave the jinchuuriki a chance, before he turned his loathing upon them. Arceus had decided to observe the boy for a period before making his decision: should he reclaim the plate, permanently or until he passed the human requirements, or should he let it remain, thereby giving his unspoken approval of the boy?

Days turned into weeks, and a new dilemma arose in Arceus' mind. He no longer questioned whether the boy would be acceptable, nor his sincerity in regards to his very few friends, the question he found himself struggling to answer was: What should he receive? He possessed a level of determination that was nearly unmatched among those in his age group, as well as a peculiar purity of spirit that Arceus had thought long since gone from the world. Strangely, the child had never asked for anything specific, perhaps in an oversight in his understanding, or simply an act of blind faith in Arceus' ability to choose what he truly needed. This posed something of a conundrum for the alpha among pokemon. First and foremost, he preferred to choose according to the desires of recipient, but Naruto's desires seemed to be simple: decent food, a safe home and whenever possible... the company of his friends. There was no doubt in either his mind or Naruto's that the pokemon he received would become his friend. That seemed to be the part the child most anticipated...

It was more than a month before his daily observations rewarded him with the spark of an idea. He had watched as Naruto exited the place of learning he attended most days, he watched as his classmates left in groups of friends or with their families. He and one other had often remained separate from the larger group of congregating humans, and they often left separately and unaccompanied by any other. On this particular day, the other child, a large eyebrowed boy with an eager face and strange eyes was approached by a large man in an overabundance of green. The two spoke at length, at the end of which the two embraced in a disturbing manner and left together, chatting boisterously.

Watching the events from his place on the tree swing, Naruto had hidden a pained grimace as his memories floated back to his years in the orphanage, and the many times prospective parents came to choose a child. Never once did Naruto even get looked at in consideration.

That Arceus realized was the key. The one integral aspect of human life that Naruto lacked. The boy had never had a family, never a brother or a sister, never a mother or father. It could be said he had a grandfather, but even at his most naive, Naruto knew it was only pretend.

Now that he had a direction to look, it was a simple matter to choose a partner for the future ninja. The group he considered best however, were among those whom had steadfastly refused to be involved in the world of ninja. They had nothing against humans as a whole, but the ninja lifestyle of violence was held as contemptible by the species. Luckily, he was able to overcome their recalcitrance in this one circumstance by showing them parts of the boy's memories, and explaining his situation. He had been granted an egg, and took his leave, thankful that he had been able to convince them. It was not an official agreement, but it was true nonetheless: he would not force those who objected to the ninja way to ally with them.

Letting the memories drift away, he sent reassuring thoughts to the egg at his side. With a gesture, he opened a window to the one who could fix this situation, seriously considering violating his self imposed ban on interfering in human affairs. When he beheld the still proceeding council session, he decided to simply observe for a time, and see how they intended to proceed.

* * *

The Hokage stood and glanced around at the room full of surprised looking ninja. "Now that we have heard the details of these events, is there anything anyone needs clarified before we proceed with the discussion?"

"I got a question for ya," called out Anko. "Did you really get taken out by a pair of fake tits on a twelve year old boy? Cause if you're really that desperate, I got a real set right here I can show ya... for a price." The sadistic woman offered with an evil grin while grasping said objects through her trench coat.

Poor Iruka had taken to pounding his forehead into the table, remembering his own experience with the perverse jutsu.

Sarutobi groaned, he knew someone would ask about that embarrassing event. "Yes, Naruto did manage to defeat me, although I would like to think it was more surprise than perversion on my part that made it possible." He pointedly ignored the incredulous looks from his old teammates. "And no, I do not wish to see your breasts. Also, tales of that event will not leave this room, on penalty of an extended stay in the T&I interrogation division."

Anko actually laughed at the threat, "I'm sure Ibiki-kun would love to test out some of his new tricks on the greenies here," she retorted, gesturing to some of the more cowed council members. "But if you're gonna threaten me with a good time, you should do it yourself," she purred.

"...I will pay your dango bill for one month, not a day longer. And if you push me I will put you on babysitting D ranks for the same period." Sarutobi conceded, knowing that the twisted woman was easier (and safer) to bribe than threaten.

"Deal!" She chirped happily.

The sound of a clearing throat pulled the Hokage's attention from the cheerful looking woman and towards Shikaku. "Not to be disrespectful, Hokage-sama, but what's the deal with that door business? It was almost as if he were talking about an imaginary friend or something. Shouldn't he have outgrown something like that years ago?"

"That's a pretty accurate description of it actually," he replied. "As you know, Naruto has no real friends his age, and while he may not seem the type, he has rather acute skills of observation. I believe this fact stems from his somewhat reasonable paranoia when traveling within the village. Naruto long ago learned that one of the truest forms of evidence among friends is mutual defense. I'm sure you three have long memories of similar events in your childhoods," he pointed out as Shikaku, Chouza and Inoichi nodded in response. "Naruto has rarely had anyone defend him, even moreso on a regular and visible basis. Iruka-san and I have done what we could over the years, but by necessity our actions were limited by presence or politics. The Anbu members who have acted in his protection have always been too impersonal to approach the realm of friendship, and so the boy's options there were limited as well.

"That all makes sense, but how does it relate to a door of all things?" queried Shikaku.

"Before I granted Naruto that apartment, Jiraiya of the sannin and myself applied multiple reinforcing and defensive seals to the entirety of the complex. Naruto's home is nearly as indestructible as this tower, excluding of course the fact that only the one area is so fortified. To date, those defenses have repelled an average of three attempted intrusions a month" There were many wide eyes at this revelation, none of the ninja had any inkling of how serious the members of the village were in their hatred of the boy. "The vast majority of these were shortly after he was instated there, and currently the actual attacks occur less than once a month, but the investment has more than paid for itself in regards to Naruto's welfare. Regardless, many many times, that door has been the only thing standing between Naruto and his aggressors. Is it truly so surprising that a child below the age of five would start to believe the act a conscious one on the part of an inanimate object? It certainly never objected to his, or my, or his caretaker's entrance."

Sarutobi let that statement stand for a long moment before moving on. "If there are no more questions, we should proceed to the heart of the matter: On what grounds do we make Naruto Uzumaki a ninja of Konohagakure? Iruka Umino, as his teacher, what is your assessment?

"Well, to be honest Hokage-sama, before yesterday I'd have said he was fifty-fifty at best. He has trouble planning ahead, but thinks fast on his feet. His fighting technique is a complete bastardization of the academy form, but he uses it in a way that is unpredictable and somewhat difficult to anticipate. Unfortunately, most of the time his attacks are completely direct and lack any finesse or guile. In regards to jutsu... well, his henge is undeniably advanced. His kawarimi is above academy standard as well. His basic bushin technique is... nonexistent, but as you heard, he essentially mastered the kage bushin in a single day. His chakra control however, is abysmal. In regards to his less practical skills... he's a mess. His academic scores were universally low, his tactical ability is unorthodox, if somewhat effective, and his temperament would lead him to be something of a hindrance in delicate or diplomatic missions.

"I see, and what changed during the events yesterday?"

"Among the attributes I listed? Nothing. But I realized something: somehow, beneath that mess of faults and random brilliance, Naruto is a true ninja of Konohagakure. Everything he did after failing the exam should have been impossible for a chunin to accomplish, let alone an academy student, but he managed to pull it off anyway. He may not always get it right on the first try, but in the end he will, and he won't stop trying until he does. And if that isn't the sheer personification of the 'Will of Fire' then I don't know what is. It would be a crime not to do everything in my power to help Naruto reach his goals. And I've got no intention of taking after Mizuki in that regard." Iruka's voice rang with conviction as he spoke those words, though as he realized who he was speaking too his hand came up to scratch at his scar nervously. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away, Hokage-sama," he said sheepishly.

Sarutobi chuckled lightly as he reassured the teacher. "No need to apologize. I asked for your honest opinion, and I'm certain that is what I received. In fact, I admit to having similar thoughts in regards to Naruto's potential. I must also admit to some foreknowledge regarding his poor chakra control. He simply has too much flowing through him, thanks largely to his prisoner, to restrain it to levels we would consider even average. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if that were the reason behind his inability to use the basic bushin properly. It would certainly explain how he was able to produce more shadow clones on his first day than I could in my prime."

"You mean you knew it would be impossible for him to make a bushin and didn't tell anyone?" Iruka growled indignantly.

"Suspected," the Hokage corrected. "And I had hoped he would find a way to work around it on his own so we wouldn't have had to deal with this situation in the first place."

"A work around?" Iruka repeated incredulously.

"Yes, maybe making a field of clones rather than just one or two. Or even just one giant one, although I suppose given his Oiroke no Jutsu, I should be glad that one hadn't occurred to him. A giant version of that would probably take out half village, and enrage the rest. But I wouldn't have put it past him to make some kind of prank out of it."

The council's reactions to that mental image varied based on gender and level of perversion: some developed nosebleeds, some cracked knuckles, and one giggled evilly.

"Anko, that idea is officially part of our agreement about not telling stories."

"But.. but... it would be so cool! And the people would all freak! You never let me have any fun!" the psychotic special jounin pouted.

"Your definition of fun needs some serious reconsideration. Something like that would cause far more paperwork than I'm willing to tolerate... in Konoha. If a future situation warrants, I may let you take the boy out and cause as much chaos as you like against an enemy village." _'And may Kami have mercy on their sanity'_

Really, the evil chuckle flowing into maniacal laughter wasn't unexpected, but the thunder and lightning strike were a bit excessive. He considered issuing an order to restrict Kurenai from teaching her friend genjutsu techniques outside the demands of her profession. Thankfully, the more responsible jounin would be occupied with students in the coming future.

"If we are quite through with the distractions,' the gravelly voice of Danzo interjected. "It might be wise to return to the subject at hand." After a searching gaze from Sarutobi, followed by a nod of acquiescence, Danzo rose and continued to speak. "I have recently come into possession of some... information, regarding Uzumaki's academic shortcomings, as well as his unusual aptitude for infiltration techniques and lateral thinking processes." Danzo struck his cane on the floor with a sharp crack, and two blank masked Anbu appeared within the council chambers.

The obvious Root members knelt before Danzo, one holding a single green covered book, and the other a stack of what looked to be academy textbooks. Danzo accepted the green one, and gestured to the other to place the stack on the council's table. Those ninja who were knowledgeable of the officially disbanded group eyed the two warily, until with a bow to the Hokage and salute to Danzo, they vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Iruka-san, if you would be so kind as to inspect the books? I had my retinue of guards attain those from Uzumaki's apartment during his disappearance yesterday, I had a feeling something of this sort would occur." Danzo's explanation was met with suspicion, from the Hokage and council as a whole. Iruka's gasp as he rushed through the surprisingly well cared for textbooks drew the attention of everyone to him.

"It's wrong," he muttered. "It's all wrong! You!" he demanded forcefully, pointing towards one of the hidden Anbu, an act that caused some consternation in the veiled guard and some surprise in the jounin who hadn't noticed him prior. "Go get me Naruto's file from the school administration building, it'll be in room one-oh-three file cabinet..."

"I hope it's not presumptuous of me," Danzo interrupted, "but I have already taken the liberty of... retrieving the files you require." As if it were waiting for just this signal, a third blank masked root agent appeared, handed the file off to the impatient teacher and vanished without a superfluous movement. "I leave you to your work now," Danzo stated as he took half a step back to await the teacher's analysis.

Within seconds, each of the books were opened to pages covering significant matters in the course study of academy students, and Iruka had expertly located and arranged the corresponding tests in front of himself. As he searched through the offending textbooks he swept back and forth over the tests with a pen produced from some unknown teacher-space. As the tests were regraded according to the new criteria, they received one of three marks, a check for correct answers, a check within a circle for answers correct according to the books in front of him, and a simple X for answers which correspond to neither. As he passed through each of the seven years worth of selected tests Naruto had taken, he passed them to the Sandaime, who lined them in front of himself after a momentary study. Reaching the final three years, during which Naruto had repeated the curriculum each time, one thing was abundantly clear: Had Naruto been given the real textbooks and not the altered and edited trash now sitting before him, the boy wouldn't have been anywhere near the bottom of his grade. Iruka couldn't be certain, but judging from the improvement over the three year repetition, it was only his tendency to deliver most important facts personally that allowed Naruto to pass the academic tests this final year at all. In fact, if one were to assume the text book answers to be right, the last of his tests would have been a perfect score, rather than the barely passing seventy-five percent that it was. As it was, the vast majority of the answers he gave that were incorrect were consistent, a fact Iruka cursed himself for missing.

"So..." Sarutobi began, looking at the proverbial writing on the wall, "Naruto-kun has been hindered from the very beginning... How could I have missed this?" The aging Hokage seemed to deflate with the knowledge of his failure to protect one of the children in his charge from the machinations of those with ill intent.

"I missed it, too Hokage-sama," Iruka commiserated. "I should have realized something was wrong. I should have tried harder to tutor him, something..."

"Actually," Danzo interrupted yet again, "the fault lies with one Tekisuto Otogizoushi. If you will notice the issuance signature, she is the one who assigned all of Uzumaki's textbooks. With your permission, Anbu are in position to arrest her as we speak."

"Granted," the Hokage replied, something very much resembling wrath flickering in his usually soft eyes.

Danzo nodded but gave no further gestures, apparently the Root agents knew their cues and moved appropriately. "Obviously, we must act to correct Uzumaki's lack of knowledge with as much haste as possible, but that is no grounds upon which to delay his promotion. He will have at least, a number of months of D rank missions before his abilities will be put to any real test. Until then, I believe Iruka-san's suggestion of tutoring to be for the best."

"Agreed," Sandaime responded, "Iruka-san can tutor Naruto in the evenings after classes let out."

Hokage-sama, not to be discourteous, but I have my hands rather full when classes are in session. I have about a month before the new year starts back up, but after that I'm likely to be tied up until nearly midnight, especially with no one to assist me in the teaching." Iruka protested.

"I will assign someone to be your second," the Hokage replied. "If nothing else, one of my secretaries can help with your paperwork after class, so you get out at a reasonable hour."

"That still doesn't help me stuff five years of teaching into Naruto's head in a matter of months," Iruka reminded.

"Then don't," Tsume complained from the largely forgotten Ninja Council. "Just hammer the crap he needs in, and leave the rest for later. It's not like he'll need to know what the birthmark on the Niidaime's ass looked like when he's fighting for his life."

"The Niidaime had a... How would you know this? And why would you tell me?" Iruka shouted, scandalized.

"I don't, and you know what I mean. Just teach the stuff he needs to survive, and leave the political stuff for when he needs it. You did say he wants to be Hokage. Gotta live a few more years before he'll have a chance at that, right?" she replied with a grin.

"That... that might work," the teacher considered. "If I teach him the immediately important and 'cool' stuff now, I can leave the more diplomatic and historical matters for when he's older and has enough experience to see how they're important."

"Now that that's worked out," Sarutobi spoke up, returning the yet again wandering discussion to it's proper course. "You said you had more information on Naruto's other abilities?" he asked of Danzo.

"Yes," he replied, placing the green book on the table and sliding it to the Hokage. "Please, tell me your impressions of this book."

Looking at the book, the Hokage paled noticeably. "You found this... in Naruto's possession?" Seeing the mummified man's somber nod, he looked once again to the books title: 'A ninja's guide to practical jokes, by PranKing Tetsuya'

Passing the book along the table for the other ninja to look at, he sent his ofttimes rival an odd look. "This book being in Naruto's hands holds... disturbing implications. If some part of his learning comes from that book, then we must be prepared for some greater horror that is to come."

"Indeed," Danzo replied, returning the odd gaze with a steady one. "I have checked, and he has completed the tasks listed within. Every single one. Uzumaki is now obligated by the book's opening agreement: he must somehow top the PranKing."

This comment drew the attention of everyone in the room, except for Shikaku and his teammates, who were looking through the book together muttering about the training strategies within. The so called guide never listed a single practical joke, only techniques which could be used in such a way. It was up to the reader to test their imaginations and skills to find a way to use the techniques. It was considered required reading (and discouraged as training) by any person in either espionage or anti-infiltration within most of the villages within the elemental kingdoms. And due to some villages policies of destroying any copy outside of military control, they were rather rare. A not unreasonable concern, since many of the techniques listed within were well within the range of civilian use.

"I have little doubt, that he has decided that his ultimate act should be used in celebration of his graduation." Danzo continued, "And as I doubt our intentions have changed with that information, I have devised a plan. It will solve our graduation situation, as well as grant us some measure of preemptive restitution for whatever it is Uzumaki comes up with."

As Danzo illustrated his idea in exacting detail, Sarutobi was torn between horror and a bubbling feeling he vaguely recognized as akin to retribution. As he watched the grins form on the faces of his council, he knew he should feel appalled, but feeling the smile on his own... he knew it would be hypocritical.

* * *

After Danzo's explanation was complete, and the orders given in regards to the ninja duties for the following day, Sarutobi and Danzo were left alone in the council chambers. The two stood staring out the window at the setting sun, silent anticipation running wild in eagerness for the following day. They had both been young boys for their ceremony, and the feeling of awe and majesty possessed by the Legendaries never faded.

"I would like the book back you know," Danzo eventually said.

"I would never have expected you to part with it in the first place," Sarutobi replied. "As I recall, you never let it leave your side, back in the day."

Danzo grunted noncommittally, "I didn't plan to, but when you refused to let me train the boy as part of Root, and I learned of the abominable job being done by the academy... I had to act somehow."

"You know why I didn't give him to you. You should never have been allowed to turn those children into weapons in the first place. I'm just glad I managed to stop your recruiting for good before you managed to get that Tenten girl. Even if I couldn't stop you from acquiring the other boy earlier." The Hokage's voice quivered with anger at his perceived shortcoming.

"I didn't get to train Tenten, as far as I'm concerned, that is neither here nor there," Danzo shrugged at the piercing glare Sarutobi leveled his way. He turned to look out the window again, "Honestly, you were right, in regards to Uzumaki, and possibly the rest of Root's members. It's true, we have done things, more things than even you know, that Konoha would never openly acknowledge as necessary. But Root's ninja are far weaker than they should be, they have no drive to excel, no determination of their own to help them succeed against all odds, in short: they have no 'Will of Fire'. I can only imagine and fear, what would have happened if a jinchuuriki like Uzumaki were to become like that. How long before the voice that he obeyed so completely started coming from within, rather than without. I will say it this once, and never again. You were correct, and I was wrong... know that if you ever bring this moment up, I will deny it vehemently."

As Sarutobi stared at his companion, wondering whether he should laugh or gloat, he received a further shock. In a swirl of black liquid, a Root agent appeared, already kneeling before Danzo.

"Otogizoushi-san has been apprehended as ordered," the figure intoned solemnly. "Do you have any further orders, Gimpy-sama?"

The Hokage sputtered at the look of long suffering indignation on his rival's face. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?" He asked with a sigh.

"One hundred and eighty-seven."

"So stop calling me Gimpy!" the boy's leader growled.

"But Danzo-sama, you told me I should work on my socialization training, and the book I read said I should use the nicknames I choose regardless of the recipient's wishes. It stated that the name would eventually be recognized as a sign of affection."

At this, Sarutobi lost his battle against laughter and had to brace himself on the window ledge, lest he lose his balance and fall into an undignified heap.

"Um... Danzo-sama? Is Geriatric-sama okay?" Almost immediately the laughter choked off into a wheezing gasp.

"No further orders," Danzo groaned, "You may leave."

With a bow and another wave of ink, the peculiar boy was gone.

"What was that about?" the Hokage managed to choke out, once his breathing stabilized.

"That was the last child I managed to recruit for Root... Sometimes I wish you had stopped me earlier too." Ignoring the once again laughing man, Danzo strode from the room.

* * *

Three sharp cracks roused Naruto from his state of semi-asleep lethargy. As he groaned his way out of bed and to the door, he wondered why he was even bothering... Three more insistent sounding knocks convinced him that whoever it was wasn't planning to leave. Opening the door, he was surprise to see the sun riding low in the sky. An Anbu in an owl mask stood before him, silent and imposing, which seemed to be a rule for Anbu in uniform...

"Um, yes? How can I help you, Anbu-san?" Naruto asked nervously. _'I can't have been out of it a whole day, right? I still have my grand prank to get done!'_

"It is time," the Anbu intoned with an air of finality.

Naruto's heart fell, apparently his dreaded thoughts had been correct. Hanging his head he spoke softly, "I'm ready."

The Anbu eyed Naruto a moment, and then nodded, "Very well, I suggest you brace yourself." With those words, the Anbu placed his hand heavily on the boy's shoulder and they vanished in a swirl of leaves.

They reappeared and vanished a handful of times, Naruto suspected this was to keep the ceremony's location a secret, but he was too distracted to be impressed at the moment. When they finally stopped, they were in a large clearing in the forest. The ground was stripped bare of grass, and a large bonfire waited unlit before them. Naruto had seen this twice before, but had always been taken away before the fire was lit, or the Legendary pokemon had arrived.

Standing before the bonfire were the Hokage, in his traditional robes, flanked by a large man in many bandages and the Hokage's teammates. The guy with the bandages hadn't been there before, but Naruto figured he had a role that wasn't always needed... maybe he was a sealmaster? Naruto shivered at the implications of that thought, but tried to hide it behind his typical facade.

Naruto strode over to the area where he knew they would be asked to wait. There were a few students milling around, with their attending Anbu not far away. He moved to the edge of the clearing and rested against one of the trees, the physical support felt nice at the moment.

One by one the remaining students arrived, demonstrating varying degrees of discomfort upon arrival. Shunshin wasn't too bad a way to travel for the user, but passengers tended to take it a bit harder. Civilians had an especially tough time of it, since their chakra was too underdeveloped to aid them in recovery. Naruto had an advantage among the students in that he was frequently dragged to the Hokage that way by angry jounin.

Eventually, all the students had arrived and the captain in charge of the escorting Anbu reported so to the Hokage, as the students were guided to their assigned position by their guards.

Clearing his throat, the Hokage called for attention. "I welcome you all to this most prestigious of ceremonies," he began. "We stand here, in the place chosen by the voice of Arceus itself in the Land of Fire, to speak with it and move onto the next stage in your lives as ninja. When Dragon-san calls your name, come forward, present your Arceus Plate, and move to the area past him to await the next phase. If for any reason you lack a plate, move to the area you arrived in, and you will be given a second chance in a few months. After we determine the reason for your lack and correct it." With that said, the Sandaime nodded to the Anbu captain and stepped back to his original position.

"Shino Aburame," began the masked man in a voice that rang like a bell through the clearing.

As the man continued through the list, the students stepped up and either presented their plate in exchange for a headband, or tried to explain away their lack of one. No excuse was accepted, and no argument considered, as they were sent to their waiting areas. It was some consolation that there were apparently more who believed they had misplaced their plates somehow than those who had retained them, but it was small solace indeed.

The clearing was silent aside from the captain's calls and some quiet grumbling from the area where the plateless stood. Naruto stood stock still as the calls passed from Uchiha to Yamanaka, completely skipping him. He wondered at it, but decided he was being left for last. last in class, last in life, last to be called. It was kinda poetic in a twisted sense.

The list reached it's end just as the sun began to set among the western mountains, with only Naruto and the other failing students remaining. The Dragon faced Anbu turned and saluted the Hokage, speaking a few words too quiet and muffled to be caught.

Once more the Hokage stepped forward. "To those of you who failed the exams and were not issued a plate, I apologize for summoning you so late. It is my belief that by seeing this place, your desire to come back next year and see it through to the end will become that much greater. You will now be returned back to your homes by the Anbu who escorted you here, with one exception. Naruto Uzumaki, please step forward."

Gulping loudly, and trying to lock his emotions as deeply as possible, Naruto strode up to the Hokage and bowed silently. Beside him, the owl masked Anbu stood rigidly at attention.

"Naruto Uzumaki," the Hokage intoned gravely. "You have taken, and failed the final exam three times. That is the maximum allowance permitted within Konohagakure, do you understand this?"

Sweating heavily, Naruto nodded, trying to ignore the snickers he heard around him, despite how swiftly they were silenced by the Anbu's presence. "I understand, Hokage-sama."

"Then you know that you will not be returning to the Academy next year. Have you anything to say in contest to this ruling?" Sarutobi looked upon Naruto softly, willing to hear anything the oft-wronged boy would say.

Naruto, for his part, considered trying to explain as he did the other night, so that the people around would know he wasn't a complete failure. But some aspects of that story could damage Konoha more than he was willing to commit to. How could the students trust their teachers after learning one had been a traitor? How could they respect their leader after learning he could be taken out by a naked girl? What would enemy villages do if they learned of such a potential weakness? No, Naruto would act as a ninja should, even if it cost him the opportunity to become one.

"I have nothing to say," he replied solemnly.

Sarutobi nodded sadly and looked to the tall Anbu beside him. "Owl-san, you know what to do."

Naruto felt the hand grip onto his shoulder again and squeeze slightly, as if in warning or comfort. Almost immediately he felt the disorientation of multiple rapid shunshins. When they stopped, he stood with his eyes closed, trying to prevent the tears he knew would come if he relaxed his control for a moment. But something wasn't right, he didn't smell the antiseptic scent of a hospital, or the musty emptiness of odors that seemed to exist within the buildings dedicated to forbidden and closely guarded knowledge such as he would expect a sealmaster's headquarters to be. And the murmuring he was hearing seemed surprised, not what he would expect from a group who must be expecting him. Bracing himself, he forced his eyes to open slightly, what he saw made them shoot open entirely and his jaw to drop. He looked around himself to see the full graduates staring from around him, Sakura and Ino had ceased their bickering, and Kiba had actually fallen to the ground in surprise, Sasuke blinked at him, but it was Shikamaru's bored yawn that snapped him out of his daze. Intentionally unnoticed, Hinata hid behind the silently supportive Shino, tears of joy flowing from her opalescent eyes.

Snapping his head around so fast the joints popped like bubblewrap, he stared at the Hokage and his companions, all wearing matching smirks. "W... what?" was all he could croak out.

"Naruto Uzumaki," the Sandaime began in a tone of utter seriousness. "For actions above and beyond the call of duty or rank; including the defeat and capture of a chunin rank traitor, retrieval of restricted knowledge from said traitor, and saving the life of a fellow ninja; I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, with the full support of the ninja council, hereby grant you a field promotion to the rank of Genin of Konoha. Please present the Plate you... acquired, in exchange for your headband."

Shocked into silence, Naruto could only reach into his equipment pouch, belatedly remembering that he had forgotten to collect it from it's hiding spot. Just as the silence began to grow uncomfortably long, he felt the unusual texture of the item on his fingers. Pulling it from his pouch, he was confronted with an image of a glaring horselike creature with a large spiked ring circling it's middle. The words 'You Shall Pass' were emblazoned across it, though they faded so quickly that only Naruto and the Anbu beside him saw it.

As Naruto offered the item to the Hokage, the old man refused it. "The honor of presenting you with you headband was requested by another," he explained.

As the owl masked Anbu stepped around and knelt before Naruto, he removed his mask and clipped it onto his belt. The smiling face of Iruka Umino was revealed beneath.

"Sorry Naruto," he apologized, "but I was ordered not to warn you about their plan." He traded the plate for a headband from his own pouch. "Gotta admit though, it was a pretty good trick, huh?"

That finally broke through the boy's surprise. The idea of it! Him! The prank master of Konoha! He got tricked by a bunch of old people? As he smiled a grin fit for a madman, he agreed, "yeah, it was a pretty good trick. But you haven't seen anything yet..." he chuckled darkly a few times before the glint of metal caught his eye and he found himself staring at his new headband... His headband... He was a ninja! The joy that phrase incited within him was only surpassed by the knowledge that soon he would get his pokemon ally, and he knew that would be the greatest moment of his life. His silent celebration was interrupted by a loud and angry voice yelling from the group of plateless passing students.

"Hey! How come he gets to be a ninja! That loser didn't even pass the damn tests!" shouted Itaka Gouzen, the son of a wealthy tradesman, he was one of the more arrogant civilian students. "instead I'm stuck over here because that stupid piece of metal disappeared!"

Sarutobi gestured to stop the Anbu who was moving towards the disruptive boy, "You say your plate disappeared?" He asked, "Do you happen to know why so many vanished without a trace? It is because you, like the others with you, chose not to honor your commitment to Arceus. And so Arceus chose not to honor his commitment to you. He controls every plate, they are as much a part of him as your own limbs are a part of you. In his understanding of the ways of humans, he offers a second opportunity, you will spend the next few months strengthening your own understanding of our pokemon allies, and at the end of that time you are still deemed unacceptable, you will be consigned to the life of a Hitorinin. There is no third attempt, so I suggest you take this seriously."

"Are you telling me some stupid animal screwed me over?" the livid boy continued, "What the hell does it know? Just gimme my damn pet and I'll show you how strong a ninja I can really be!" the ranting was ended by a flash of heat as the stacked wood in the clearing erupted into a column of flames that rose far into the air, passing beyond even the trees surrounding the clearing.

A resounding voice roared through the forest, shocking almost everyone with it's intensity. **"Pet? Animal? You impudent child! We have watched your human civilizations rise and crumble into ruins! We have seen lifetimes such as yours pass between one breath and the next! We live existences beyond your grandest imaginings! And yet you dare to think us of a kind with your lowest of beasts?" **As the echoes faded into the distance, the flames died to normal heights and revealed an image even the most jaded of humans would not believe to be purely animal. Standing over the bonfire was the largest bird anyone there had ever seen, long necked and slim bodied, it's flaming crest was level with the towering trees, and it's long pointed beak looked easily up to the task of impaling any number of the trembling students. It's wings and tail feathers were spread slightly, and tongues of flame flickered along them endlessly. It had long four clawed feet that held it's body high enough that even the tallest human there would have had to leap to so much as graze it's belly with their fingers. And it was glaring at Itaka with the full force of it's fiery soul.

**"Well, human? Dare you speak such blasphemies to my face?" **it challenged.

Those few who hadn't moved away the second the fire erupted, now abandoned the unlucky target of Moltres' ire with a speed that would have made even the Yondaime proud. The target of the Legendary bird of fire's wrath himself, fell away into a dead faint. Thus satisfied, the giant pokemon fluttered it's feathers and repositioned itself in a pose of regal tolerance, apparently resolved to wait until the humans settled the rest of their concerns.

"Well, she's a little early, but let me introduce you all to Moltres." Sarutobi explained while the large bird bobbed her head in something resembling a bow. "Those of you who had your plates revoked will meet her again in three months, I do hope you take this unexpected lesson in respect to heart. You will now be escorted to your homes."

As they waited for the clearing to be emptied of unnecessary people, most of those remaining gazed with unhidden awe at Moltres. Naruto, of course strode right up to the imposing being.

"Hey!" he called up to it, also gaining the attention of everyone else nearby. "Are you gonna be my Pokemon? Cause that would be really cool!" When he only got blinked at in response, he decided to continue, "You're really big, so I bet that means you're strong too, huh? I bet you can do more fire stuff than Sasuke-teme too! And best of all, you're orange! Orange is the coolest color, I bet you think so too, right? I know ya probably got a lot of giant pokemon things to do, but we could work together real good! I know you protect the land of Fire, and that's gonna be my job too, I'm gonna be Hokage someday! Dattebayo!

About this time Iruka grabbed Naruto and dragged him away, apologizing profusely the whole while.

_'This one... is rather strange.' _Moltres thought to Arceus.

_'That he is,' _Arceus agreed in the same manner_. 'But then, many humans would say the same about us. May I ask why you reacted to the other one as strongly as you did?'_

_'Hmph, lousy brat's lucky I didn't burn him, acting like that. Humans just need to be reminded of the meaning of respect once in a while. He may be an oddball, but at least the loud blond one appreciates beauty.'_

_'Or at least the color orange,' _was Arceus' smug reply.

After a short while, the Anbu ordered their charges to take positions around the bonfire. The Hokage, with his companions and the Anbu, then moved away from the circle, leaving the ninja to be, alone with the majestic Legendary.

Once they had settled, she began to speak once more. **"You who remain have been accepted by Arceus, God among Pokemon. Now the task which befalls me, is to deliver the gift of alliance as agreed within our age old pact. Know that the choices you have made, the paths you have walked, have lead you to this day. Remain true to yourselves, and to your allies, and we of poke-kind will always remain beside you. But know also, that just as we remember and honor our allies, so too do we remember our enemies. Harm our kindred only when absolutely necessary, and never seek to enslave another living being. Remember these rules, and remember that We are always watching." **it's speech complete, the firebird swept it's wings around itself and released a wave of flame that flowed around and over the seated children. As one they flinched away, expecting searing heat, but instead feeling warmth as if from a clear summer day. When they could bring themselves to look back in the bonfire's direction, the giant bird was gone.

But between each of them and the still flickering fire, lay an egg. As each reached forward to grasp the gift that would become their future allies, they flinched again as the first touch produced a burning sensation within them. The runes of connection searing themselves in an unknown script and impervious ink on the skin of their forearm. Once the pain ebbed and the elation of finally receiving the last mark identifying them as full fledged ninja waned, they lifted the eggs carefully. The solemn mood that permeated the group was almost oppressive in it's intensity... until it was shattered by an indignant shout.

"Hey! How come the Teme gets an orange one!"

* * *

And that's the end of chapter two. Sorry about the near absence of Naruto in this one, but there was a lot to set up. Rest assured that the next chapter will center on him and will reveal the identities of who got what. (If you wanna review with a guess, feel free, most of the eggs are designed with the first evolutions of their species in mind, although two were in the anime, so I just used those descriptions.) This chapter also illustrated some of my take on the role of Legendaries in this world. I have plans to use quite a few more in various places, but as I said in chapter one: Rarely will they take a front seat in the action.

Terms I used that don't exist elsewhere (to my knowledge)

Inoukaijukage: Literally means: Pocket Monster Shadow (Seriously, I didn't plan for Celebi to do that, it just kinda happened)

Hitorinin: Alone-nin, Ninja who for whatever reason were denied or lost their Pokemon, if Danzo had continued as a Ninja, this is what he'd be.

In answer to reviews: Sorry, but I will say Naruto received neither Ninetales nor Treeko, but I do believe what he has will be sufficiently different enough to satisfy.

I will try to keep the characters within the realm of realism. (as in real world, not cartoon) Naruto may still bounce into naive mode periodically, especially in regards to situations he doesn't understand, but I intend for him to grow reasonably as well.

In regards to relationships, I don't know if I'll be up to tackle that in any reciprocal manner, but I am trying to keep the feelings that exist somewhere within the range at the time of the story's setting. (ie: Hinata, Ino and Sakura primarily)

Thank you for reading, and I hope to have the next chapter around soon,

-Mhyrloc


	3. A plan is hatched

Sorry about the delayed update, this chapter fought me tooth and nail at times. Hopefully it is well worth the wait.

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Edit: 8/30/2011- Added a review response to the end of the chapter, contains spoilers for the future, so avoid if you prefer to.

* * *

Naruto awoke feeling better than he had in weeks, months, maybe even his entire life... Okay, he did feel a little itchy, sleeping on a sheetless bed was a new experience, but hey, sacrifices must be made for the greater good. And right now, his greater good was resting in a giant multicolored nest formed out of every spare scrap of cloth he could find. As his denuded bed could attest, 'spare' was a liberal concept in this instance. Rolling over, he stared at the mound of fabric protecting his new best friend, or at least he hoped that's how it would work out.

Iruka-sensei had told him that pokemon eggs didn't really have to be kept warm the way common bird eggs did, but that didn't mean Naruto was gonna take any chances. Dragging the one blanket he kept for himself, he crawled out of bed and over to the clothes he had set aside for himself. He had wondered whether or not the egg would need them, but decided that his new pokemon would rather he be in clothes he hadn't been wearing for a third day straight if it hatched today. He would have to do laundry he decided, and probably some spring cleaning too. A pokemon might not be the same as a human, but a responsible roommate certainly wouldn't expect a new friend to live in a cluttered apartment.

Carefully, he built a new nest on the bed, starting with his recently vacated blanket. He separated the clothing he could still wear from those outgrown or too damaged for public decency and used the latter in the temporary habitat as well. The rest he bunched together and shoved into a sack so he could drag them down to the laundromat later that day. He wasn't sure how long the egg would take to hatch, but Sarutobi-jiji had said it never took more than a week. They were told that this week was for them to hatch and hopefully begin bonding with their pokemon, but that as soon as possible following the hatching, they were to report to him at the tower. He would need to learn a bit about their allies so as to make sure team assignments would flow smoothly.

Dragging the somewhat overstuffed sack of laundry to the entryway, he left it in Door's capable hands... knob? Whatever. He let Door watch it for him. Moving to the closet where he kept his small number of cleaning supplies, he liberated them from their long subjugation by the dustbunny empire. Hauling the broom, mop and other implements out onto his balcony patio, he shook off as much of the offending debris as he could, whacking them against the rail to ensure they were clean enough to clean with. Rarely had he been particularly concerned with the state of his apartment, at least in a major sense. He kept it as uncluttered as he could, but dust and dirt tended to build up quickly when you spend your days sweating and training in fields.

Heading back inside, he pondered where best to start... Sweeping would be easy, but then when he dusted, he'd just have to do it all over again. Deciding to just start at the top and work his way to the ground, he grabbed the broom and went to war on the cobwebs that he had always ignored in the corners of the ceiling.

* * *

About three hours and a lot of sweat, dirt and a spilled bucket of muddy water later, Naruto was ready to call the place clean. Oh sure, it wasn't perfect, he would be hesitant to eat off the floor if asked to, and he wasn't entirely convinced that strange stain hadn't always been there... But he was willing to say that he had done his best, and the place looked a lot better. Sneezing at the acrid scent of cleaners, despite having opened the window to try and let the place air out, he decided he should get to work on the laundry.

He stood in his room, staring at the egg, torn between taking it with him and leaving it here under Door's watchful protection. While it was uncommon, he did sometimes get 'accidently' bumped hard enough to fall down, although such incidents became rarer as he learned more about becoming a ninja. That was what actually decided him, he couldn't risk anything happening to his egg, and if that meant he would have to be away from it for a while, then so be it. Reassuring himself that the odds of his pokemon being harmed or hatching in the short time he would be gone were low, he grabbed the sack, locked Door and took off at a dead sprint. Thankfully it was a weekday, and the laundromat shouldn't be too crowded. Unluckily for him, it was apparently cleaning day for another woman, and she had occupied all but one of the washing machines before he arrived. Rushing over, he loaded the machine as full as he could, and set it running. Naruto sat down to wait, knowing that if he left the laundromat, there was a good chance his clothes would be gone or ruined when he returned.

* * *

It took more than an hour to finish his laundry, complicated at one point by an argument with the petty woman when she had tried to claim more of the driers than she needed. When his machine finally buzzed to let him know his clothes were done, he stuffed them back into his sack and raced to his apartment again. Rushing into his room, he was happy to see the egg safe in it's fabric cocoon. Relieved, despite his earlier confidence that nothing could have happened in such a short absence, Naruto finished his day of cleaning by folding and storing his laundry in their proper places. As he shoved at the mass of cloth protruding from his dresser in a futile attempt to get the drawer to shut, he was startled by a loud growl. He was staring at the egg expectantly before the echo even began to fade, his confusion lasted only until a second growl was emitted from the vicinity of his belly.

Thinking back sheepishly, he realized he hadn't eaten anything since a late lunch two days prior, just before leaving for the Hokage tower. Patting the egg fondly, he retreated to the kitchen to start some water boiling. Setting out a larger than normal breakfast, a full half dozen of his beloved cup ramen in assorted flavors, he waited for the water to heat enough. He blinked sleepily as he did.

Now that he was past the hustle of housework and worry that permeated his time at the laundromat, he was starting to feel pretty tired. Naruto had never adjusted to the whole 'lazy day' thing, and so avoided taking any more days off of training than necessary. As a result, whenever he found himself with required time to relax, he tended to spend it sleeping. He'd considered training anyway, but between the potential risk of bringing his egg to a training field, and the fact that he'd just finished cleaning the apartment, he really didn't want to mess it up again.

Pouring the boiling water into the six cups, Naruto plopped down at the table and cradled his head on his arm as he pondered his breakfast. Two miso, and one each of chicken, pork, beef, and shrimp. Should he start with the first miso and cycle through so he could end on it again? Or should he just eat the two of his favorite flavor first as a sort of celebration? Maybe he should eat all the rest, then save the miso for desert? Nah, the noodles might get soggy, and that would be bad... Before he finished his deliberations, and before that hated three minute wait was over, Naruto had slipped into a restful sleep.

* * *

An unknown time later, Naruto was startled awake by the familiar sound of pounding on his door. Struggling valiantly against gravity, he prevented an unfortunate meeting with the floor only by virtue of catching his foot on the table leg. Struggling himself upright once more, he stalked towards the door, grabbing one of the cup ramen from the table on his way. Frowning at the lukewarm brown liquid, he wondered how long he had been asleep. Judging by the soggy mess that had once been delicious noodles, it had been quite a while. He threw back his head and chugged some of the salty ill-textured soup as he opened the door, hoping the makeshift meal would help him stay awake this time.

As the door swung open, it revealed a brightly smiling Iruka-sensei and his Exploud companion. "Hey Naruto," the teacher called cheerfully. "How are you enjoying your first day as a ninja?"

Naruto looked at the man blankly for a moment, before stating in a voice that echoed his recent awakening, "It's boring."

Iruka laughed. He had expected as much from the active boy. "Don't worry," he replied in a reassuring manner. "If that pokemon takes after you at all, I'm sure it's as eager to hatch as you are." Exploud whistled in agreement.

Opening the door further to invite his former teacher in, Naruto asked curiously. "So... what brings ya around here, Iruka-sensei?" The teacher and pokemon entered, Iruka taking a seat on the somewhat battered couch while Exploud chose to wander the apartment curiously.

"Well... It's like this Naruto. During the council session two days ago, we were given a look at your textbooks." Seeing the boy's puzzled expression, Iruka pulled one of the books from his pouch and handed it over. "This book, as well as the others you were given over the years, were... altered. There's a lot of information in them that was changed so you would learn things improperly, or not at all. I should have done something," remorse rang in his voice as Naruto processed yet another act against him by the hateful members of the village. "Somehow, I should have figured it out. I failed you as a teacher, and for that I'm sorry, Naruto."

Naruto couldn't really claim to be surprised, he himself had noticed on occasion that the information in his books was wrong, but rather than assume malice, he had guessed the errors to be simple carelessness on the printer's part. "Hey, it's not that big a deal, right?" he replied, forcing careless cheer into his voice in an attempt to reassure one of the few who offered him a fair deal in life. "So I learned some messed up stuff. I'll just figure it out like I always do, right? I can probably buy some real ones and then I'll be right on track to becoming Hokage in no time! Dattebayo!"

Iruka couldn't help but grin at the enthusiasm in the boy's voice, though he could easily hear hidden quaver that betrayed the pain of yet another cruel act against him. "Well then, I'm glad you're so eager." He declared, pulling a sealing scroll out of his pouch. With a flash of chakra and a burst of smoke, a stack of books taller than his knee was revealed. "These are the real deal, and by order of Sandaime-sama, I'm going to be tutoring you most evenings to get you caught up to where you need to be. We only have a few months to get you up to snuff on the major subjects, so I expect you to work hard and study when you can, okay?"

Naruto meanwhile, was torn between dread of even more boring schoolwork, and joy that Iruka-sensei was willing to do so much to help him. Settling on joy as the most useful right now, he grabbed the first book off the stack and flipped through it, marveling at the crispness of the pages, it might very well be brand new. Shutting the book with a loud clap, Naruto jerked himself to attention, standing pole straight and saluted with all the sincerity he could muster. "Yes, Iruka-sensei-sama!" He declared. To his credit he held the position for a full thirty seconds before losing composure to happy laughter.

"Alright then," Iruka replied, levering himself up from his seat. "Now that the buisiness is out of the way, what do you say we go get that ramen I promised you?"

Naruto dropped the book back on the stack and was standing by the door so fast, it might have been a shunshin. "Let's go Iruka-sensei, I'm starving!"

"Now Naruto," Iruka chided, "aren't you forgetting something?"

Naruto blinked a couple times before realizing what his teacher was getting at. Scratching the back of his head nervously, he apologized. "Sorry, I'll go get my egg, and then we can go get ramen. And I bet Teuchi-jiisan and Ayame-neechan will both love to see it, I can't wait til it hatches and I can show 'em my pokemon!"

Naruto headed off to his bedroom, leaving the devoted educator to sigh at the boy's enthusiasm. Sometimes dealing with the energetic blond was enough to make him feel older than the Sandaime, and he could only wonder what that made the almost ancient leader feel like. His musing was interrupted by a scream of panic from the bedroom.

"EHHHH! Hey! Hey! Where'd ya go! C'mon, don't hide from Naruto-niisan! Please?" The sound of chaotic rummaging and a few loud slams echoed through the hall as Iruka rushed to the bedroom. Within, he found a distraught Naruto standing in what looked to be the aftereffects of a tornado. Clothes and bedding were scattered about, and the bed itself had been flipped against the wall, apparently from being searched under. Upon seeing the older chunin, Naruto ran over and grabbed his vest, crying out frantically, "Iruka-sensei! My egg is gone! Please, you gotta help me find it! What if... What if someone stole it!"

Iruka did what he could to calm the boy down, while surveying the disaster area around him. He wasn't especially skilled at infiltration tactics, and Naruto's actions would have destroyed or displaced any evidence of someone being in the room, but even he could tell no one had entered through the window. Only a sealmaster of considerable skill could have managed such a thing, and no one with that amount of strength would come just for a pokemon egg they wouldn't be able to profit from anyway. Had such an event have happened, Naruto, as a Jinchuuriki would have been the most likely target for abduction.

"Naruto," he asked, shaking him slightly to get his attention away from some rant about S rank missing-nin and plans for the world's largest omelette. "Where was the egg when you last saw it?"

Naruto gathered himself a moment, and then proceeded to explain about the fabric nest he had made for the egg and how the last time he saw it was before he fell asleep during breakfast, and that he should have brought the egg with him to the kitchen and... Iruka was forced to stop him again.

"Naruto, I know this is upsetting, but you need to calm down. The odds of someone infiltrating a ninja village for a pokemon egg are absurd. I'm sure if we look around we'll find it... It may have just hatched and wandered off somewhere. Let's stay focused and look around."

Hope blossomed on Naruto's face instantly, although only someone with a ninja's observation skills would have noticed in the span of time between it's appearance and Naruto's disappearance, as he took off like an arrow from a bow, ripping through the house franticly searching for his new companion.

As Naruto proceeded with his systematic ruination of the majority of his day's efforts, Iruka paced his way through the not overly large apartment. He figured if the pokemon was anywhere inside, it would take at most an hour to find, unless it was an unusually small specimin. Deciding it would be best to recruit a pokemon to aid in finding one of their kin, he left to gather his own. Making his way down the hall, Iruka followed faint whistles into the kitchen, where he was somewhat surprised to find his Exploud not eating the remains of Naruto's now cold breakfast.

The pokemon was sitting on the floor beside the table facing the chair opposite the one Naruto had apparently left pushed out when he answered the door. In that farther chair, sipping from a styrofoam cup almost as large as it's face, was what Iruka would almost swear was a young child. It's strange coloration and Exploud's obvious interest convinced him otherwise. He was certain this pale skinned, green haired creature was actually a pokemon, albeit one he had never even heard of before. Never removing his eyes from it, he called down the hall for Naruto.

The blond boy was by his side almost instantly, looking around eagerly. Iruka held his tongue a long moment, watching as Naruto's eager anticipation slowly bled away. Puzzled, Iruka swiftly realized that he couldn't see the creature at all from his angle, the flat length of the table effectively hiding the diminutive creature from sight. One hand came to his own face in a gesture of chagrin, while the other slapped down on Naruto's shoulder as he turned to leave and continue his fruitless search. He was about to explain when a small sound caught their attentions.

An empty styrofoam container clattered hollowly as it was placed on the table by a pair of barely seen (by Naruto anyway) hands, followed by a second louder thump-squeek as something unseen hit the floor below the table. Naruto held his breath as he watched it approach him, leaving the shadows beneath the table with a sort of hopping shuffle, it stopped just short of the stunned blond and looked up at him from beneath it's bangs. "Ralts!" it exclaimed happily.

Naruto was speechless, his gaze tracked over the pokemon he knew to be his own. Melancholy red eyes hidden by a veil of green hair, parted in the middle by a pair of red horn-like projections to the front and back. It's skin was pale white, and it's hands had no fingers. It's legs also seemed short and blunt, without either knees or feet, giving it the impression of a person who was sitting in the seiza **(1)** position. The pokemon was small, barely knee height to him, and certainly wasn't going to win any awards for most intimidating pokemon in the village, but it was his and that was all that mattered.

Ralts looked up at her new partner expectantly, he hadn't said or done anything since she tried greeting him. He just kept staring at her... it was kind of intimidating, and the emotions that were radiating from him were making her horns tingle. Relief, joy, surprise, hope, pride, and a little bit of fear all flowed from him, a veritable corona of sensation. From the large man nearby she felt an extraordinary amount of pride, under which were feelings of happy reminiscence and a faint sense of melancholy. The feelings from her new partner made her feel happy, even though she could tell he was nervous. After a couple minutes of waiting, during which his emotional currents flowed circuitously and the larger person's became almost entirely amused, she decided he might need another prompt.

"Ralts?" She asked, knowing he wouldn't get the 'Well?' she intended, but hoping it would shake him from his stupor anyway.

He blinked twice before grinning like a lunatic and grabbing the pokemon in a hug that might have crushed a human infant and replying: "Ralts!"

Ralts might have tried to stop him, but knew she was in no danger, and the joy radiating from him made her feel almost warm enough to combust.

Iruka looked on happily, watching as Naruto cried and the strange little pokemon patted him reassuringly. He smiled fondly at the scene as his Exploud trundled over and joined him, drinking down the last of the cup ramen as he walked.

* * *

Thump. Thump. Thump. Naruto sat in a chair with one too short leg, swinging his feet back and forth sullenly. The regular thumping voicing the nervous displeasure he couldn't risk putting words to. Iruka had promptly dragged the newly formed pair to the Inuzuka's pokemon and animal clinic as soon as Naruto had calmed from his emotional outburst, although at least the teacher was nice enough to let him clean himself up first.

Naruto had complained loudly and constantly, from the instant he realized his beloved ramen stand was no longer their immediate destination right up until the behemoth of a woman running the reception area grabbed him by the back of his jacket, lifted him one handed until he was eye level and growled at him to shut up or get out. Normally he would have argued back, but her stern expression, coupled with the fact that she seemed more than willing to send him on his way without bothering to open the steel reinforced door first, made him relent. Periodically, she would growl a warning at him and he would stop rocking for a few minutes, at least until his nerves got the better of him and he started up again.

Every time the doors leading into the medical area opened, Naruto would look up hopefully. His Ralts had been taken in there for what Iruka called a standard medical checkup. He had explained that all pokemon were unique, and because of that it was important to know as much as possible about ones partner. As an example he said that some pokemon had very strict dietary requirements, and the last thing Naruto wanted to do was accidently hurt his new friend. So here he sat, thumping his chair and trying to be patient until the serious looking woman who had taken Ralts away returned.

Iruka looked up from the magazine he was reading, idly wondering if there really were a thousand and one uses for duct tape. He sought out Naruto, who was sitting as far from the reception desk as possible. The woman in charge wasn't one who hated Naruto thankfully, she just happened to be slightly overbearing... in the same sense that Might Guy was slightly emotional. He had seen the woman put Jounin on their asses for causing a ruckus in 'Her waiting room', and for a civilian that went right past intimidating and into the realm of terrifying. He wasn't concerned about her carrying through with her threat, so long as Naruto kept his impatience under control. The woman may not be willing to tolerate distruptions in her waiting room, but she was reasonable enough when it came to genuine concern.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Still, It might be best to distract Naruto somehow... "Hey, Naruto," Iruka began, dropping the magazine onto the table he got it from. "You should really relax, Ralts is as safe here as she would be in your own arms. The doctors here are professionals, and if you stop worrying about it so much the time will pass quicker."

"But I can't Iruka sensei!" Naruto replied loudly, before a growl made him drop to an exaggerated whisper. "Ralts is in there all alone, and it might be scared and who knows what they're doing to it!"

In his mind, many and varied images of doctorly tortures were being visited upon his new friend. Everything from being poked with huge rubber-clad hands, to being forced to eat grey gelatinous slop, to being shoved in a box that took strange pictures of it's insides... and even needles! Just the thought was enough to bring a full body shiver to him. "That's it!" he declaired, ignoring the fact that Iruka was now gazing past the energetic boy. "I'm gonna go get Ralts back! I'm gonna bust in there and get it back!"

"As much as I like to hear that kind of loyalty to your new pokemon, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to not storm the halls in search of your Ralts," an amused female voice stated from behind him. "_She_ missed you too." it continued, stressing the first word significantly.

Naruto stiffened as soon as he heard her speak, and slowly turned around to look on the woman who had first taken Ralts away. She was wearing the same off-white medic uniform she had earlier, and had a clipboard in one hand and a happy looking Ralts in her other arm. As soon as she had Naruto's attention, Ralts hopped across the short distance and into his own arms. After a flash of panic that she might have hurt herself in the reckless transition, he calmed, since she seemed perfectly fine, aside from a small bandage on her arm. Noticing his inspection and the way his eyes lingered on the bandage, Hana Inuzuka decided to inform him of the results of the testing.

"As you can see, we took a blood sample. She was quite the little trooper actually. I've had grown men fight more to avoid a little needle prick," she laughed a bit at the truth of that statement, missing the way Naruto flinched at the thought. "She also aced her physical examination, though we did have to help her keep her hair out of her eyes for the visual portion." For the first time, Naruto actually realized he could see Ralts' eyes without trouble, she was wearing a length of gauze as a headband, she returned his look, chirping her name happily. Looking over her clipboard, Hana continued. "According to her preliminary bloodwork, she's part of the Amorphous egg group, so she should be pretty receptive to most human foods, just make sure she gets a balanced diet and bring her in if you she starts acting sick or refusing to eat."

"And a balanced diet requires more variety than just different flavors of ramen, Naruto. You'll need to make sure she, and you, eat healthier from now on." Iruka added.

"But... I don't know how to cook anything else." Naruto replied in a small voice.

Iruka and Hana shared a surprised look, although it was soon overlayed by amusement as Ralts stretched up from where she balanced in his arms to pet him on the head reassuringly.

Deciding to get back to his origional plan for the day, Iruka stood and stretched before patting Naruto on the shoulder. "Then I'll just have to teach you to do that too," he stated. "Come on, as I remember, we were planning to go get lunch, right?"

"Actually, Iruka-san," Hana interjected. "The Hokage generally wishes to see the new pokemon as soon as possible. It might be best to pay him a visit first..."

Iruka started scratching his scar nervously as soon as she mentioned the Hokage. "Actually, I stopped by there earlier. I was going to invite him along as well, you know as a sort of celebratory get together... but he's a bit busy with the council today..." He gave a half hearted chuckle, remembering the tightly leashed killing intent he felt from the chambers, as well as the harried expressions of the various workers within the tower. "Naruto can just take Ralts in tomorrow morning, it's not like anyone was expecting a hatching so early in the week anyway."

Hana eyed him suspiciously, knowing the unusually open ninja wasn't telling the full story. Eventually she nodded, "Alright then, I'll just file this and get the rest of the blood tests started. You'll be called in if any further testing needs to be done, but if not then I expect you to bring her back in six months for a check up, or whenever she evolves if that happens first." Waiting just long enough to recieve Naruto's affirmative answer, she left through the same doors she had earlier, flipping through the clipboard's information and muttering to herself.

* * *

Going for a late lunch turned out to be a stroke of good fortune, the midday rush was all but ended by the time they arrived. They still went to Ichiraku's, a promise is a promise afterall, and Ralts seemed to be enjoying her ramen. Of course, lacking fingers or any way to readily manipulate chopsticks, she had to be fed... a task which Ayame assigned herself happily. She was currently feeding the newly born pokemon and chattering animatedly in baby talk. Meanwhile, Iruka had taken to discussing Naruto's lessons, both academic and culinary.

"Okay Naruto, You'll be spending most mornings training with your jounin sensei, and most afternoons doing D rank missions." Iruka explained as he and Naruto ate, "You'll be joining me at my home in the evenings, starting at say... six o'clock, or as soon after that as you can arrive. That will be the plan until classes start again, anyway. After that we'll have to see how long it takes me and my new coworker to get things in order. We'll start by teaching you to prepare simple meals, and after dinner we'll work on your academic studies until about ten o'clock. How's that sound to you?"

Naruto swallowed an overlarge mouthful and grimaced at the idea of spending essentially every waking hour working, but recognized the necessity, especially if he was going to truly become Hokage someday. A leader couldn't afford to shirk their duties, and even though Sarutobi-jiji told him often that he wasn't the best at everything in the village, Naruto knew he was at least proficient in everything that was important. If this was the price he had to pay to achieve his dream, then he wouldn't complain anymore than he imagined Yondaime did when faced with the responsibility of becoming Hokage. After a moment's thought, Naruto agreed to the arrangement with a firm nod. "It'll suck for my free time, but it's not like I have anything else to do," he replied. "So, um, are we gonna start tonight or what?"

Iruka, his own mouth full, shook his head in response. When he could he explained, "No, I think it's best if we get started tomorrow night. I've got some work to finish, and I definitely need to get some cleaning done if you're going to be learning to cook." _'I should probably get some emergency supplies too. I wonder if a fire extinguisher or Suiton jutsu would be best?'_

Naruto nodded quietly. He didn't mind the delay, he had plans for that night anyway, and since he was gonna have to visit the Hokage in the morning anyway... oh yes, the old man would have a very good reason to see him... He and Iruka continued to eat their lunches, the elder completely unaware of the plotting of his graduated and yet still learning student.

On the bench next to Naruto, Ralts turned towards her partner with a curious expression, she felt an odd sense of anticipation and impishness through her horns. She considered him for a long moment before deciding she felt no true malice. Deciding to put her concerns aside, she turned back to the attractive girl feeding her.

Not long after, a large and satisfying lunch consumed. Naruto and Iruka went their seperate ways, with Iruka promising to bring Naruto some ramen free takeout for dinner later in the day. Behind them at the shop, Ayame was cleaning the dishes that had piled up during her extended break. Her father, Teuchi wandered over to get the latest gossip about their favorite blond. Professional he might be, but he was certainly not above benefitting from his daughter's small talk.

"So, Naruto's a full fledged ninja now, huh?" He began, obviously fishing for information. Thankfully Ayame was in a perfect mood to indulge him.

"I know!" She squeed happily, "And his little Ralts is such a cutie, you should have seen her, it was so adorable the way she ate. I think we have a new regular." She sighed theatrically, "Or we would if we had a bit more to our menu."

Teuchi glowered at the girl, the girl had been pestering him for years to expand their selection, but his menu had worked for longer than the girl had been alive. This small restaurant had been frequented by all four Hokage! Why mess with a proven thing? It was about this time in his frequent inner argument that he realized one significant point she vaguely raised. Ralts might not be a regular... Ralts would go where Naruto went... Ergo, Naruto might no longer be a regular soon. Or at least as regular as he was currently.

"Explain." He commanded.

Ayame continued washing, as if he weren't even there, satisfied that she would have his full attention until either she continued, or a customer arrived. Letting him stew for long enough for her to wash one of the large broth pots, as punishment for his rudeness, she decided to clarify. "Naruto's been ordered by the pokemon doctor to make sure she gets a healthy variety in her diet. Naruto's been practically living on ramen for the last couple years, so he has no idea how to cook anything else. That's part of what Iruka-san is going to teach him. And he's told Naruto that he and Ralts shouldn't eat here more than three times a week. He isn't going to like it, but I think we both know that Ralts' needs are going to come before anything he wants from now on."

Teuchi frowned, he had to admit that maybe Ayame had a point afterall. Naruto certainly wouldn't risk a friend's health for a bowl of soup, not even Ichiraku's finest. He even had to agree, that a diet of pure ramen wasn't very smart. While he did work hard to make sure that only the best and freshest ingredients were used, that only resulted in their shop being arguably the least unhealthy in the ramen business. It seemed that he and Ayame were about to lose a lot of visits from their favorite customer... and the sizable tab he rang up, which Teuchi was honest enough to admit had been all that helped them through some rather tight times over the years.

Firming his resolve, he turned and strode through the back exit and into the adjoining home he and Ayame lived in. When he returned a few minutes later, he wore what his daughter referred to as his 'travelling clothes'. The term was a bit misleading, since it consisted of an exact copy of his work clothes in brown rather than white. A mistake made when ordering his last set of replacements had seen this and two others like it delivered to their shop. Rather than raise a stink, he simply kept them and now wore them whenever he went out around the village.

"Mind the shop for a while please," He requested as he walked to the exit.

"Sure thing, but where are you going? The dinner rush will start in a couple hours." She replied, not looking up from her work.

"I won't be gone too long," Teuchi replied. "I'm just going to go see an old friend about some recipes."

* * *

"And this is the hospital, I don't come here often. The doctors are scary and like to stick people with needles. I don't think the nurses like me much either."

Naruto was walking the length and breadth of Konoha, giving his new pokemon the grand tour, so-to-say. Ralts was perched on his shoulder, balancing with surprising skill as she gazed around, not just at the hospital and it's staff, but also at the random passerby. Since separating from the one Naruto called Iruka-sensei, she had noticed that they received an unusual number of glares and stares. Naruto seemed to be oblivious on the outside, but she could feel his emotional turmoil. He was worried and afraid, but was doing his best not to let anyone know. She had witnessed this often through Arceus' window, but it was a much different scenario to be here in the flesh. For one thing, she could sense more than just Naruto now, and the passerby had emotions as varied as their appearances.

Some looked at Naruto with unconcealed loathing, their anger radiating from them like heat off stone. Others were merely curious, the boy was a puzzle to them, infamous without obvious cause. But far fewer residents seemed to recognize Naruto than he believed. the vast majority saw him, saw herself, and decided he must be a young ninja. They had no opinion or feelings beyond the mild wonder one would expect a citivilian to feel for a ninja, especially one so young.

As they travelled through the village, Ralts listened idly to Naruto's explanations. While the majority of her attention was focused on identifying and memorizing the faces and feel of those who bore Naruto ill intent, she paid enough attention to notice the frequency with which he used the phrase: "they don't like me much." While the common populace seemed largely unaware of his status as a pariah, it seemed many primary institutions within the village were all too knowledgable. Everything from libraries to restaurants to supply and grocery stores, every one that Naruto passed was explained and followed by that phrase. As they travelled, some workers even moved to the door and glared at him, as if to dissuade him from even thinking of entering. Through all this Naruto continued on his merry way, outwardly unaffected, but hidden deep within himself were wounds that ached from this rejection.

Ralts tried to send uplifting feelings at the blond, only to find herself being uplifted in a highly literal sense. She felt a spike of panic from Naruto as he spun around into a fighting stance in time for them both to see an unexpected sight.

Holding Ralts at eye height was a soft faced woman with green eyes, dark blonde hair and a kind smile. She also looked like she had swallowed a watermelon whole.

"Well aren't you just the cutest thing." She cooed at the confused looking Ralts. She pulled the pokemon close and cradled it to her chest, tickling it with her free hand. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if our little girl is as adorable as this?" She asked the man beside her.

"I'm certain our little princess will be even more beautiful!" He replied enthusiastically. "I'm just not sure about the green hair..." He was an tall tanned man with square-framed glasses and short cut hair that spiked up. His expression seemed to slip readily between a satisfied smirk and an exstatic grin. Noticing Naruto, he turned to the boy. "Hi there! Is that your pokemon my wife is cuddling?"

Naruto nodded numbly, not entirely sure what was going on anymore.

"Well, that's just great! My name is Hughes, Maes Hughes. And that's my wife Gracia, we just transfered in from the Land of Birds. I was on long term assignment there and that's where I met my sweet Gracia. Isn't she beautiful?" Naruto nodded again, noticing the Konoha leaf symbol embroidered into the back of his jacket as he turned to grin at the woman.

"Anyway," he continued. "We're having a baby! Would you like to see a picture?" He reached into his jacket and pulled out something that could have been a drawing of a foggy ocean on a moonless night. "Isn't she beautiful?" He asked excitedly. He went on to explain how this was her head and these were her perfect little toes, and how they had gotten the picture from a new sonar type jutsu the medics were developing using chakra paper to see inside the body.

After nearly twenty minutes of conversation that Gai would probably consider most youthful, the woman calmly interrupted and handed the sleepy looking Ralts back.

"Maes dear, I know you enjoy talking about the baby, but we really need to go finish filing your transfer papers." She smiled in a way that gave Naruto the impression that he went on these tangents far too often, but that she was too indulgent to fault him for it.

"Right as always, honey." He replied grinning sheepishly. "Hey, it was a pleasure meeting you... um, I never did get your name, did I?"

Blinking, Naruto realized that he was right. "Um... yeah..." he stumbled for a bit, trying to find his balance after the whirlwind of chatter that was Maes Hughes. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Yeah, and I'm gonna be Hokage someday! Dattebayo!"

The pair watched him a moment, as if waiting for him to say he was joking or something. When they recognized the steady stare he was giving them, Maes chuckled a bit. Seeing Naruto tense for an argument he stopped.

Hughes sketched a salute, albeit an informal one. "Well then future-Hokage-sama, Special Jounin Maes Hughes, Intelligence division, reporting. If there's anything I can do to help you out, feel free to ask, okay?" Darting in next to Naruto, he whispered "Just promise to protect my little girl if she becomes a ninja and we'll be even." With a wink from Maes and a bow from his wife, the two left, hand in hand, headed for the Hokage's tower.

Naruto looked at his dozing Ralts, then back towards the departing couple, and decided to head for home and get some rest. Things were just too strange, and he was going to have a busy night.

* * *

As Naruto took off towards home, a pair of green eyes sought out her husband's dark ones.

"Did you see the way those people were looking at him?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to ask the Hokage about it." He replied.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"I might, but if I'm right, I can't say anything. No one can."

Her eyes narrowed as she caught the hint. Being married to an intelligence officer wasn't easy sometimes, and the prevalence of S rank secrets in the ninja world certainly didn't help.

"We can't just ignore the problem," she stated stubbornly.

"Then don't," Her husband replied. "Just get people thinking. If someone is trying to cause him trouble, they're probably not risking their neck telling the truth. And if we find out someone's being a busybody..."

The woman smiled in a way that made even her husband nervous. Hell may have no fury like a woman scorned, but neither does heaven match the wrath of a woman who's maternal instincts are on overdrive.

She was quite the formidible woman, despite not being part of a major village. Formerly a ninja of the Land of Birds, Gracia was assigned as an honor guard and guide for Maes when he was stationed there as a liaison. He had no illusions that an unspoken part of her job was to keep an eye on him, and apparently she liked what she saw. After nearly a year, she had requested a change of duty. Less than a day later she had asked him out on a date.

Now, over five years later, they were married with their first child on the way, and she had been an active ninja right up until the verification of pregnancy. At which point they discussed and agreed that Konoha would be a better place to raise their child. In large part because of the recent political unrest in the Land of Birds.

As they continued on their way, Maes idly hoped that his beautiful wife wasn't the one to find any troublemakers in this case. He certainly wouldn't stop her if she was, but putting the perpetrator to public trial would do more good than anything his wife would be considering at this moment.

* * *

The village was silent and still, aside from the unseen movements of Konoha's nighty guards, when the resident prankster made a discovery that would change his plans immensely...

* * *

Keibou Wasuregachi stared tensely out at the moonlit forest beyond the village hidden in the leaves. He was a special jounin, largely because of his nearly unmatched skill with his bow. He was nervous, most nights there was an air of boredom to those assigned wall duty. enough so that it was often used as a punishment for minor transgressions.

Keibou spent most of his nights up on the wall, a result of his tendency to flirt with superior officers, and noble daughters, and just about any other pretty girl he met. Ironically, this most recent stretch was because of a refusal to flirt. He'd been up here for a couple months now, but he'd have to be here until doomsday before he flirted with the Daimyo's wife willingly.

After so much time staring at the same view, he had developed an extra sense off sorts. Something bad was going to happen tonight, he just knew it. He glared heatedly at everything he could see. Swaying branches, and chatting comrades all received the same treatment.

He had tried to warn his allies to be on full alert, but they merely laughed him off. This was Konoha, No one would be stupid enough to try and attack it, let alone with a force small enough to sneak up completely unnoticed. So they spent the night as they had every other: talking and screwing around whenever the jounin squad leaders were out of sight.

Keibou made sure to keep his bow strung and arrows on hand.

As dawn approached his tension only increased. He was on the eastern wall, and as such would be staring right into the rising sun. It didn't take a tactical genius to recognize that as the best time to attack. An arrow nocked, his bow half drawn, he watched. He didn't know who was going to attack, but he swore that first blood would belong to Konoha.

He was so focused on watching beyond the wall, that he didn't notice the noises behind him, nor did he sense the oncoming attack until the last instant.

Turning he witnessed a flash of orange before feeling a massive impact, it slammed his arm before driving into his chest. His breath was knocked violently from him as he was slammed back against the outer merlon of the wall, his arrow skittering uselessly along the walkway. To his sides as far as he could see, ninja were down, writhing or still, all covered in red, just like he was.

Strangely, he felt no pain, according to what little medical knowledge he posessed, that was a bad thing. He looked out over the village, thinking to make his last memory of the place he loved. But it wasn't right, His home was in utter chaos, figures swarming all around.

Growling with determination, he dragged himself to his feet. This kind of situation would be the perfect opening for an invasion. He staggered over to the nearest ninja and kicked him until the man opened his eyes.

"Get up!" Keibou commanded. "I want everyone on this wall standing and alert now! We hold this wall until Anbu clears out those bastards inside or our relief arrives, Got it?"

That said, he dragged the hapless ninja to his feet and shoved him against the merlon to keep watch as he himself staggered towards the next in line. It would be hours before they realized they were never critically injured in the first place.

The attacks which caused so much trouble for the wall guard turned out to be merely the opening salvo in an event which would long live in the minds of Konoha's inhabitants. There were no fatalities, and only a few casualities, but the sheer scale of the so-called invasion resulted in a general tightening of security and increase in the standards of Konoha's Anbu.

Despite the lack of a true emergency, Keibou Wasuregachi and three others from the wall recieved their promotions to Jounin due to their immediate response to a threatening situation.

* * *

Earlier:

The instant the sun rose fully above the village wall, the plan went into motion. A dozen orange clothed pranksters began at the walls, pelting their targets with paint filled balloons before rushing into the village proper from their varied locations. This early in the day, few were about or alert enough to fend off the unexpected attacks. Most of the night guards were tired and anticipating their replacements, and few of those replacements would call themselves 'morning people'.

Paint balloons were launched with fervor, targetting ninja and civilian with nearly arbitrary abandon. Buckets of paint were emptied against storefronts and sidewalks carelessly as their posessors avoided the hastily formed pursuit teams.

On the Hokage monument nearly a score of the same figures were busily scrawling graffiti on the faces of the villages most respected figures. Swirls, lines and loops of color spread across the leaders faces, and each prominently wore a set of familiar whisker marks.

Hidden throughout the village, individual prankster clones waited impatiently to spring paintbomb traps, which invariably ensured that the pursuit teams not leave the fray uncolored.

In the Hokage tower, which was currently being decorated in a strange pastel spiral motif, Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the anarchy in dismay. He resignedly gave the order to his Anbu guard to send all available forces after Naruto Uzumaki, with firm orders to capture him unharmed.

As his guards vanished from sight, the beleagured Hokage had to be thankful for one thing: however much trouble the boy may be, at least he was on Konoha's side... Having that boy attack a foreign village, even in times of conflict, might just be considered a war crime.

* * *

Elsewhere, Naruto himself listened to the sounds of a plan going off without a hitch. He had plans to complete personally before he joined in the general confusion, which is why he was in the Uchiha district.

He had already gone around and painted a smiley face on every fan insignia he could find, and Sasuke would be in for a surprise when he found that all his training posts had been painted with the images of his most fervent fangirls. He almost wanted to stick around and see the look on the Teme's face when he tried to train and found he couldn't.

Luckily for Naruto he didn't, Sasuke Uchiha had years of pent up frustration which found sudden release in the systematic destruction of those training posts. Sasuke enjoyed the experience so much he later arranged for all his training posts to be painted pink and red, yellow and purple, or black (to which he added sharingan eyes himself). As repayment for Naruto's unexpected inspiration, he graciously chose not to have the Dobe arrested for trespassing.

On the walls of the buildings surrounding Sakura's home, Naruto had scrawled lines of poetry to her, despite his admitted lack of skill in that area. Unfortunately she awoke while he was trying to decide on a rhyme for ramen, and chased him away.

After losing the enraged pinkette, Naruto found himself under attack yet again, this time by a gang of academy students. Apparently one of his clones had splattered their teacher while decorating the academy, and they decided to join in the Naruto hunt as well.

Naruto spent the following half hour playing the villain 'Naruthas the Paint Bringer' to their... well they couldn't decide between 'Team Turpentine' and 'Buster Brigade'. But it was fun nonetheless. He eventually was forced to leave when a passing ninja noticed him and gave chase.

Naruto had no idea how many of the origional fifty clones he set to causing trouble that morning were still around, but he randomly sent off new ones to add to the confusion as he travelled. Throughout the event, Ralts mostly hid in the backpack Naruto had decided to wear for that purpose.

Running past the Hyuuga compound, lobbing balloons over the wall as he went, Hinata stepped out in front of him. He dodged aside rapidly, though the act caused the shy girl to flinch away and lose her balance. Naruto called an apology to the girl as one of the gate guards caught her and the egg she was carrying at the time, scowling at the boy and cursing the mess he and the rest of the branch would no doubt be required to clean.

As Hinata stared after the boy she held feelings for, she was surprised to see a red eyed creature with green hair gazing back at her from his pack. Activating her eyes for a better look, she let out a surprised gasp, which caused the guards to repeat her actions. Everything around them was awash in color, and glowing with chakra to their eyes.

One of the guards, on a hunch hit a spot of paint nearby with a juuken tap and was amazed when the entire unbroken length dissolved into mist. A few more taps and further lengths disappeared with no great effort. The guards shared a grin as one left to deliver the trick to clearing the mess to the day's cleaning crew.

Hinata continued staring at the village, her perception shifting from one end to the other. She counted no less than thirty-five Narutos running around, many still scattering the unique pigment as they evaded and taunted their multicolored pursuers. Her breath caught as she watched one mistime a leap and ended up smashing face first into a nearby building. The Naruto in question disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving the can he had carried careening through the air spilling paint.

Hinata decided it would be a bad time to take a walk. With so many Naruto-kuns around, she was sure to get distracted, and that would be dangerous with her egg to worry about. Thus decided, she hopped onto the wall and then to the roof, clearing a spot to sit in and watch Naruto-kun's performance.

* * *

Anko couldn't help but laugh when the blond brat causing so much trouble slammed into the wall near her favorite dango shop. That laughter came to an abrupt end when the spinning can splattered her head to toe with blue paint. That in and of itself might have been forgivable, accidents do happen afterall. But when she looked to her side and saw that her deluxe extra delicious extra large order of dango had been covered too? She was woman enough to admit she went a little overboard.

The next blond and orange thing she saw got pelted with so many kunai so fast that he had at least six fatal wounds before he dispelled. The Anbu that was chasing him got one look at her before vanishing as fast as he could, intent on finding a safer activity than reprimanding Anko for excessive violence. Maybe there was a mission to go assassinate the Tsuchikage available?

Anko stormed over to the paint can dropped by this clone, which was rolling around in circles spilling red across the ground. She stalked over and kicked the can as hard as she could, a bad idea as it turned out, since the can spun through the air, splattering her yet again before slamming into the blue stained wall and exploding into a cloud of smoke.

Imagine her surprise when not only the can disappeared, but also the paint it impacted upon. Anko looked at the paint staining her trenchcoat curiously, before whipping out another kunai and slicing into it. There was a burst of thin mist, and her trenchcoat was as good as new, aside from the new cut anyway. She darted over and tried the same on her breakfast, with the same results.

The psychotic woman stared in wonder at her delicious dango's miraculous return to immaculance, before plopping down in a safer position to resume her breakfast, wondering all the while what kind of mischief she could cause with that brat if given half the chance. Maybe she'd let him help her kill Orochimaru?

* * *

Naruto, the real Naruto that is, evaded capture for over five hours. He had started his attack shortly after six in the morning, and was finally dragged before the Hokage at nearly eleven thirty. In the intervening time, Sarutobi had had sixty-two clones brought in, all of which dispelled themselves, although some were able to leave behind a number of paint balloons when they did. The short fall proved enough to rupture them, and so his office floor looked like something that hippy sect from grass country would wear.

He stood before the aged leader, flanked by the two who captured him. The Hokage stared forlornly out the window, gazing upon the half complete defacing of the monument, and moving his sight around the panorama of vandalism surrounding the tower.

"Naruto, do you know how much damage you've done with this prank?" He asked calmly after letting the boy stew for a few minutes.

"It's just paint." the boy replied with a carefree attitude.

At that response, the Hokage spun around, his robe whipping about as he did. "Just paint?" He asked grimly. "How much paint? A hundred gallons? Two? All of it spread over the entire village!"

"Um, lemme think..." Naruto took on his thinking expression, eyes closed and mouth in a severe frown as he counted out on his fingers silently. After a short while, he looked up brightly "Two hundred and fifty," he replied happily.

"Two hundred and fifty?" Sarutobi repeated dryly. "My mistake, there are two hundred and fifty gallons of paint spread across almost every home, buisiness and clan compound in the village." Sarutobi blew out a heavy sigh and rubbed his temples. "At least you didn't go after the Hyuuga compound. I'll have enough trouble keeping the council under control without Hiashi going on about 'assaults upon the Hyuuga dignity and pride'. Naruto, what am I going to do with you?"

He looked over to where the boy had been, only to see his two escorts subtly pointing to the window. Sarutobi looked over too see him staring at the pristine white building in surprise.

"I know I hit them," he grumpled to himself.

Sarutobi blinked at this, both the revelation that Naruto had somehow been thwarted in an attempt on the Hyuuga, and the fact that that seemed to annoy him more than the potential trouble he could be in if the Civilian council got their way.

"Naruto, you really need to take this seriously." He stated sternly, "an act of this magnitude could have far reaching repurcussions. At the very least, you're probably going to be required to clean it. Do you have any idea how long that could take? Even with your shadowclones helping it will be months before you can get your ninja training back on track."

"Already thought of that, Jiji." he replied as he turned around, not to look at Sarutobi, but to glance at the clock. "Everything will be done and over in nine minutes."

Sarutobi glanced at the clock himself, to see it read eleven fifty-one. Naruto was back to staring out the window, expectantly this time. Sarutobi moved to stand next to him and watched curiously. Naruto knew what he had done wrong, and if he had come up with some clever method of avoiding punishment, it was bound to be interesting.

The clock ticked away slowly, at some point the two guards had moved so that they could look out on the pigmentary carnage as well. When the clock hit noon, something unexpected happened.

Slowly at first, then with increasing rapidity, swaths of color began to vanish into vapor. within seconds the village looked less like an artistic disaster area and more like the center of a massive mist jutsu from Kiri.

As the remaining Naruto clones noticed the event, they too poofed into nothingness. Sarutobi turned at sounds of surprise behind him to see that even the paint on the guards had dissipated. A few wind jutsu from the ninja in the area were already in the process of blowing the mist away as he turned back.

He looked around in wonder, the monument, village, and even the expensive carpet he had thought ruined, were all as good as new. If he didn't know better he'd have thought the entire day to have been one massive genjutsu.

"Hah!" Naruto barked from beside him, "I'd like to see anybody top that prank!"

Sarutobi could only smile wryly. Naruto had done something spectacular, but the council would still come at him with the proverbial pitchforks, that much was a certainty. He knew he should be thinking of how to shut them up, without resorting to strongarm tactics. But he was too occupied with the more pressing question: How did Naruto do it?

* * *

(Flashback)

Naruto grunted with effort as he hauled the paint he had saved for this day to the top of the Hokage Monument. He frowned slightly as he considered his sparse selection. Five gallons in various colors, none of which were his beloved orange.

Oh well, you gotta work with you you have, right? Shrugging, he set the paint down and made his new favorite handsign.

"Kage bushin no jutsu!" he called out quietly. Around him, three clones popped into being.

Naruto turned to his copies, retrieving some paintbrushes from his kunai pouch. "Alright guys, we got to get moving if we're gonna get this monument painted right before..." He paused noticing that his clones were already holding paintbrushes eagerly. "Where did you get those?" He asked.

"They were in my pouch," the three answered together.

Naruto looked betwen them, before glancing back at the paint cans. Grabbing one, he made another shadowclone, sure enough it appeared with it's own can of paint. He put his own can back down and took the cloned one from his newest copy.

Prying the lid off, Naruto dunked his own brush into the paint and swiped it across a nearby tree, smiling mischeviously as he realized it looked and acted exactly the same as real paint.

"Okay, new plan," he declared. "You guys dispel and I'll make a bunch more clones so we can really make this one good." Four puffs of chakra smoke later and Naruto was loading himself with all five cans of paint. Charging as much chakra as he could, he remembered the massive number of clones he made to take out Mizuki-teme. Growling the name of his technique around the handle of the paint can he held in his teeth, a wall of smoke announced the arrival of his clone army.

Dropping his burden at the base of the tree, he was startled to notice the swath of color he had used to test his shadowclones paint was gone. Grabbing a can from one of the new clones, he tested it again, the color was perfect again. He ordered that clone to dispell itself, and as soon as it did, the color faded away.

Vanishing paint? Yeah... yeah, he could work with this.

"Alright! Split up, half of you in one group, half in another!" He called as a plan formed in his mind. Once that was done, he pointed to one group, "You guys are team A, Take your paint cans and pile em up nearby, we aren't gonna use them. Team B, Give team A your paint cans. Your job is gonna be to not get dispelled. Sneak back to my place and stay put, dispel yourselves... about noon, okay?"

Grumbling from team B about not getting to have any fun made Naruto wonder how long the clones would be willing to follow his orders without some compensation. He certainly knew he wouldn't want to sit around bored while others got to have fun. He wondered a moment at what he could offer them that would be enough to make them happy...

Realizing the one thing that might work, he forced himself to offer it. For the first time he knew what the concept of a starving artist might mean.

"Team B, feel free to eat any of the instant ramen in the apartment." As the now happy clones took off, Naruto tried to console himself, Iruka-sensei had said he needed to stop eating it so much anyway, right?

As Naruto turned to team A, they were already hard at work devising ways to put this new windfall of materials to devastating purpose. As time passed, he almost forgot about the sacrifice, so caught up in the spirit of the moment he became.

* * *

Sarutobi sat in his chair, he had settled into it as Naruto told his story and was surprised at the boy's ingenuity. Who would have thought such an application was possible? Was there a way to use such a thing in combat? How accurate where the copies chemically?

He realized that the possibilities, if such a thing could be duplicated large scale, were nearly endless. Chakra duplication of everything from toxins for poison specialists, to temporary blood transfusions using the patient's own blood for medics... He would definitely have to get some of his jutsu creation specialists working on the idea. The largest hurdle would seem to be a way of stabilizing the copied materials so they didn't disperse too easily...

Shaking himself mentally, he decided to leave those considerations for later. He watched as Naruto sat there, holding the strange pokemon that had climbed out of his backpack and into his arms during the story.

With a thought and a flash of fire, his own Infernape stood beside him. The imposing flame pokemon's appearance would have been more intimidating, had it not been shorter than even Naruto's diminutive height.

Not that Naruto was going to harrass a pokemon who had stood beside a Hokage through a war. Some things even he wasn't dumb enough to attempt.

Altering his attention from the boy to his pokemon, Infernape studied the infantile creature for time, before turning to Sarutobi.

'First birthday?' it inquired in sign language. Sarutobi nodded, while hiding a grimace at the rough translation. Infernape wasn't among the lucky few pokemon who could speak vocally or telepathically, but the intelligent creature had adapted to the limitation with impressive skill.

"Yes, this little one is the first to hatch among this year's graduates. What is it's name Naruto?"

"Her name is Ralts, the doctor said she of the amphibious egg group and she's allowed to eat human food as long as I give her a lot of different types." He replied, happy that he remembered all the information correctly.

Sarutobi thought a moment before deciding not to correct Naruto, as far as he knew there was no amphibious egg group, but that wasn't a significant concern. Mostly it served as a guideline to what sorts of food the pokemon could safely eat, which Naruto seemed to know, and what pokemon they could breed with. And since bonded pokemon were never known to breed, it wasn't important.

"Thank you Naruto, I'll see what else Infernape can tell us." The boy looked on in wonder as he and the pokemon conferred via sign language.

'Do you know what nature it is?' he asked.

'Mind type,' it replied. 'Three form.'

"Psychic type, and it can evolve twice," he relayed. 'Mind speak?' he asked next, knowing that it was an ability psychic types were known for.

Infernape hesitated, before signing for 'Maybe'

The two conferred for a while, occasionally delivering tidbits of information to Naruto as they did.

This continued until a secretary politely knocked on the Hokage's door and was permitted entry. She informed him that some members of the council were requesting an audience, as were a number of concerned citizens, and one Iruka Umino.

The village's leader gave the secretary orders to send in Iruka, and have the council members await him in the main meeting room. If the citizens were concerned about the events of that morning, he would say a few words to them on his way to dealing with the council.

Iruka seemed surprised to see Naruto in the office, especially after seeing how crowded the waiting room was.

"Good afternoon Hokage-sama," he stated with typical politeness. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important?"

"Not at all, we were just finishing up," the Hokage replied. "Though I expect this to be the last time I see Naruto brought in here for questionable actions." He finished, giving Naruto a serious glare.

"Hey, you got it Hokage-jiji," Naruto exclaimed. "I'm a full ninja now, so I gotta act like one, right?"

"You were a full ninja this morning too," the leader replied dryly.

"I know, but I made a promise! I promised the book that I'd do something big, and I never go back on my word! Dattebayo!"

Iruka looked back and forth between the two curiously. "Um, did I miss something?" he asked nervously.

"How could you miss my masterpiece!" Naruto demanded in horror. "It was awesome!"

"I woke up really late," Iruka replied sheepishly. "I was up until almost dawn working on your new curriculum, see?" At that he handed the stunned boy a stack of paper nearly an inch thick.

"I'm gonna have to learn all this?" He asked, gulping loudly. Not only had Iruka-sensei missed his prank, but he had come up with all this in just one night?

"Well, that's just the first part. The stuff I think you'll need to learn before you can start on C rank missions and the like. I'm already working on the list of things you'll need before you become Chunin, but we won't need to get working on that until you finish this list. And that's not even counting the cooking lessons."

"Cooking lessons?" Sarutobi was confused, surely the boy knew how to cook, he'd been living without a guardian for over three years.

"Yes, Hokage-sama, When Hana-san told Naruto he would have to eat a more balanced diet we learned he didn't know how to cook anything but instant ramen."

Considering that thought, the Hokage felt ill. "Very well, Iruka-san. I will be certain to reimburse you any expenses. It is my duty to ensure that the children of this village have every opportunity to succeed, and I intend to correct this oversight. Thank you for your generous offer."

Iruka was taken aback, he hadn't expected such a response, but before he could stammer his thanks, the Hokage was gone. He heard the murmur of quiet reassurances from the Village leader to it's worried inhabitants, promises that the events of that morning were a singular occurance and that steps were taken to prevent anything similar.

Shaking his head, he retrieved the stack of paperwork from Naruto, thankful that the boy hadn't had a sudden inspiration to destroy the item that he would probably have nightmares about in the coming weeks.

"Come on, Naruto, let's head out through the window. I don't know what you did, but the fewer upset people see you right now the better, okay?" With that suggestion, they hopped away across the roofs of Konoha.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei. Um... If we're gonna be starting the lessons tonight, you mind if I come home with you? I think the clones ate all my food..."

Clones ate his food? Well, he knew the shadowclones were physical, so it would stand to reason that they could eat, but why would he let them eat his food?

"Well, sure Naruto." Iruka replied, deciding to get the story from him during the cooking lesson tonight. "I have to stop by the store to get some ingredients though, I must admit my kitchen is a bit bare at the moment."

Naruto frowned at the idea of going shopping with Iruka-sensei. "Maybe I should just meet you at your place? A lot of stores don't really like me, and I don't want you to get bugged by them 'cause I'm around."

Iruka stopped on the next roof, spinning to catch Naruto as the boy was about to barrel into him. Dropping the boy to his feet, Iruka asked in his no nonsense voice, "What do you mean they 'don't really like you'?" Iruka wasn't stupid, but he spent too much time working to have noticed events that Naruto himself tried to avoid as often as possible.

The boy explained how some stores refused to let him in, and others ignored him if he got in and tried to buy something, and how most of the time he bought something at a store they told him the items were mismarked and charged him more.

Iruka asked how much he paid for the instant ramen he survived on, and was shocked to learn he paid four to five times the going price.

Nodding firmly, as if having come to a decision, Iruka took off in a new direction, trusting Naruto to follow along. The boy seemed puzzled when they left the market district behind, but Iruka had a new destination in mind. Hopefully, one which would solve most of the boy's shopping troubles.

* * *

Not long after, Naruto found himself in a warehouse office, standing before a tall man that he would honestly admit intimidated him more than the Hokage.

The man, whom Iruka had introduced as Touji Suzuhara, was tall and imposing. He wore plain but durable civilian clothes, and his face was one that could only be described as rugged. Naruto wasn't surprised to notice dogtags around his neck that bore the Konoha leaf symbol.

The man calmly pulled the gloves from his hands and dropped them on his desk, where they landed with a puff of dust. Leaning against the desk he crossed his arms and favored Naruto with a long gaze. The boy couldn't help but notice that he bore a pokemon rune on one arm, and a strange seal on the other.

"So... you're a ninja?" he asked attempting to break the silent standoff. Why did Iruka-sensei have to leave him alone with this guy? He even took Ralts with him, though he mumbled something about Touji not being good for children to be around.

"Used to be." The man replied. "I hear you're that Uzumaki kid. I also hear you're the one that did that number on the village this morning."

"Yeah, that was me. But I had to do it, I promised the book I would! And since I'm gonna be Hokage some day I gotta keep my promises! Dattebayo!" Naruto was very nervous, he didn't know why Iruka had brought him here, but he didn't want to ruin whatever his teacher's reason was before he had even arrived.

Touji scratched the stubble on his chin as he considered. He had heard of a book that had some sort of weird 'big prank' final test back in the war days. He remembered some rumors about a fresh genin getting his hands on some risque photos of the Shodaime's wife and had them copied and delivered to troops on the battlefield. He'd even seen a few and remembered that the woman looked damn good in a Chinese dress.

"Well whatever kid, it's not like I haven't done my share of troublemaking in my day. Only question I got for ya is this: You plannin' to cause anymore trouble? The kind that might get back around and hurt me and my business if we associate with ya?"

"No sir," Naruto replied seriously. "But if I hang around here, people might not like it anyway. Even if I'm not doing anything wrong."

"Well, there's an easy fix for that," He replied as he pulled a cigar from a drawer and lit it. "Fuck the stuck up pricks."

Naruto, who had been expecting orders to just stay away, was shocked. Not just at the language, but that someone would actually say them about his problems.

Noticing the boy's expression, Touji continued. "Look kid, this' my warehouse, my shop, and my home. If somebody don't like the way I run things, they can get the hell out. Go shop somewhere that agrees with 'em." He pointed at Naruto with the cigar, "If I wanna let some kid shop here, they can't say shit about it. If I wanna throw somebody out, that's my decision too. Far as I'm concerned, you gimme your word you ain't gonna make me regret it, and I'll let you shop here. Same prices as everybody else. Iruka tells me you got some trouble with stores gougin' ya, well none of that shit'll be happenin' under my roof."

Naruto excitedly gave his word, he was pretty much done with using pranks as a way off getting attention anyway. He had to put every effort into being the best ninja in the village if he wanted to become Hokage afterall.

The two talked leisurely while they waited for Iruka to return with his purchases. With Touji telling him of the store's rules, and his time as a ninja, even showing Naruto the artificial leg that replaced the one that cost him his ninja career. Naruto was really excited about the shop's import policy, his dreams would be haunted for weeks by exotic flavors of instant ramen.

As they were leaving, Iruka with his purchases safely stored in a scroll, and Naruto with Ralts in his arms, Naruto couldn't help but feel that his life had improved by leaps and bounds in almost no time at all.

* * *

The rest of the week went by almost perfectly. He had spent his afternoons and evenings with Iruka studying, and his mornings training in the fields around the village.

Learning with Iruka one on one was surprisingly easy compared to Naruto's experience in the classroom. The teacher wouldn't tolerate clowning around for one thing, and for another he had a lot of interesting stories about the otherwise boring subject matter.

An additional source of enthusiasm for Naruto came when Sarutobi had taken him to lunch the day after he started his tutoring. Sadly, it wasn't Ichiraku, but the old man had insisted on taking him somewhere where he could 'expand his palate'.

They had gone to a buffet restaurant owned by one of the Akimichi clan members, and Sarutobi had made a rule that he could eat all he wanted, as long as he didn't get the same thing twice. By the end of a long lunch, Naruto had probably tried more different foods in that one hour than he had in his entire life prior. He had found some foods he didn't like, but many more he enjoyed. Even Ralts had made out like a little glutton, the waitresses couldn't get enough of her and brought her choice bits of everything, fresh from the kitchen.

While they ate, Sarutobi told him what he knew about psychic types. Most important in his mind was the theory that psychic types can actually become stronger through intellectual stimulation.

When Naruto had relayed this idea to Iruka, the teacher took to it with relish, even going so far as to include Ralts in the lessons and impromptu quizzing games. Of course, Iruka was limited in his options when it came to receiving answers from the mono-verbal pokemon.

All in all, Naruto couldn't remember the last time he spent so much time out in the village and so little hiding behind Door.

Of course, given Naruto's past experiences, it was impossible to have so much good luck without a measure of bad to balance it.

A few days into his break, as he walked through the village, Naruto heard the familiar slurring insults he had grown up with. Clutching Ralts to him tighter, he continued on his way, striving to ignore the words of a man who had obviously found his courage at the bottom of a bottle.

Striding purposely on his way, Naruto refused to act intimidated by a mere drunk. He was expected to face down everything from missing-nin to bijuu in service to his village, how could he possibly be a respectable ninja if civilians scared him?

Behind him, the abusive alcoholic's words grew louder and more vicious, until one phrase finally pierced far enough to register: "Take this ya damned demon bastard!" That statement was followed by the familiar whistling of a thrown bottle spinning through the air.

Naruto curled himself around the quivering Ralts, fully dedicated to protecting her from harm as he took off at a run. He slid to a stop as two halves of the bottle shattered on the sidewalk to either side of him. A loud thump and muffled curses caused him to turn around and witness a view he had once dreamed of.

The drunk was pinned to the ground by three blank masked Anbu who were in the process of binding him arm and leg. Between Naruto and his former assailant was a fourth masked man, naked sword held low to his side.

The three Anbu pulled their captive to his feet, while he shouted imprecations against them and Naruto in particular. He stopped and sobered with amazing speed when the sword wielding member shoved his weapon's point into the man's adam's apple.

In a voice that welcomed no argument, the Anbu spoke. "You were witnessed commiting an act of assault against a genin ranked ninja of Konohagakure. According to section three, paragraph two of the civilian covenant, you are guilty of treason. You will be escorted to a holding facility and interrogated to ensure your act of sedition is not part of a larger conspiracy. You will then be granted an audience with the Hokage so that you might plead your case. I suggest you be thankful. Were this a time of war, your punishment would be summary execution."

The man withdrew his sword and flicked off the thin line of blood that had run from the prisoner's throat, before sheathing his sword. Turning to the crowd that had begun gathering almost as soon as the drunken rant began, he made an announcement.

"Citizens of Konoha. In the past, certain events have occured that were ruled to be fully within the jurisdiction of the Civilian Council. As the target of these injustices is no longer a civilian, these events can no longer be overlooked or left to the civilian police. Any attacks against a ninja of Konohagakure is treason, and will be treated as such. Likewise, any attempts to hinder or harm their ability to complete their assigned missions successfully, be it refusal of service without adequate cause or the supply of substandard equipment, will be pursued as the same."

He swept his covered gaze across the now murmuring throng of people before continuing.

"Remember. When you chose to live here, you agreed to abide by the laws established by the Hokages, previous and current. If you are no longer willing to adhere to those laws, you are free to find inhabitance elsewhere. This is the decree of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, as delivered by Elder Danzo Shimura of the councils."

With that, he vanished in a swirl of leaves, his team and their prisoner following immediately.

Naruto spent the rest of that morning in a daze, until Iruka slapped him out of it with a pencil to the forehead during his lessons.

* * *

It didn't take long for the news of the declaration to work it's way through the village, and it took little longer for it to reach the august ears of Councilman Yokujuu.

As the servant who had delivered the unfortunate news rushed from the room hiding her distress at the soon to be bruise she sported, Yokujuu fumed.

_'The 'Sandaime's Decree?' Bah! There's no way that pacifistic fool would have ordered such an impetuous statement. It would appear Danzo is finally showing his hand, it seems he has swayed towards supporting that infernal creature... And Sarutobi will have no choice but to support this ridiculous order... Very well, it seems that I will have to use another option. A few words in the right ears, a few ryo in the right hands... Yes, that will do quite nicely. A shame I won't be able to watch the brat suffer myself, but business before pleasure...'_

* * *

Naruto woke up to a series of unpleasant sensations. First a weak pulling on his arm, then of alternate shoving and tapping on his chest. Last and most disturbing to his dreaming bliss was the feel of a swift punch in the gut as fourteen pounds of Ralts jumped onto his belly.

He rolled around in the bed, toppling Ralts from her perch, coughing and wheezing as he tried to get a full breath of air through his spasming diaphram's objections. When he could finally suck in enough precious oxygen that he no longer felt like death was laughing at him, he turned a hurt expression to his pokemon and croaked out a "Why?"

"Ralts!" She exclaimed waving his alarm clock at him emphatically. He wondered distractedly how she had managed to pick it up before realizing the time on it.

"Shit! I'm late for team assignments!" Naruto rushed around getting his clothes together, while Ralts helpfully dragged what she could of his typical equipment to him. Within minutes Naruto was dressed and slamming his way out the door with Ralts perched in a backpack Iruka had modified for them.

Ralts could feel Naruto's distress. He was worried to the point of panic, his mind racing through every route he knew to get him to the Hokage's tower. Iruka would be worried, and starting attendance right now, if he even bothered with it given that only nine people would be there.

As Naruto, tower firmly in mind leapt from his apartment's balcony, Ralts grasped for her own power. She knew she could help her partner, she just didn't know how exactly. As she drew more of her own energy, she began to glow, though the distracted Naruto didn't notice until the same blue glow suffused him and the roof he was aiming to land on was replaced by a very surprised Iruka-sensei.

* * *

Minutes earlier:

Iruka gazed over the sparsely populated lobby, counting the students settled in with their pokemon. _'Looks like the only one missing is Naruto. I swear that boy will be late to his own funeral... though I suppose that would be a good thing.' _ Aloud he informed them: "I'm sure you're all anxious to get things started, and as soon as Naruto gets here we can."

He half expected Naruto to slam through a window or door at that instant, it was the sort of entrance the boy loved. But it was not to be. As he waited he went over the team selections in his mind, and more importantly his 'discussion' with the Hokage the morning prior when the decisions were made.

He was fully aware that the number of students limited the options, and the Ino-Shika-Cho fathers insistance limited it further, but he wasn't sure Naruto was being put on a team that could work. the more he thought, the more worked up he became, until he was pacing singlemindedly.

He was brought out of his less than pleasant contemplations by shouts of surprise and a flash of blue light. He caught a glimpse of orange and a familiar shout before being sent careening along the floor in a tumble of limbs.

When the spinning, both physical and mental, finally ended he found himself uncomfortably wedged against the wall with Naruto standing on him catching Ralts as she fell into his arms.

"Nawutho, gef off ma fath," he ordered around one of the boy's feet.

"Gah!" he exclaimed, leaping away instantly. "Sorry about that Iruka-sensei! I woke up late and tried to get here as fast as I could and then things went all glowy and I was here but I really really didn't mean to do it, honest!"

Iruka pulled himself to his feet and rubbed his poor face as he sorted through the rush of words that continued to pour from the boy. "Hey hey, calm down already." Iruka said as he patted the air placatingly "I know you didn't mean to do it. In fact, I don't think you did it at all. Isn't that right Ralts?"

They both looked at the obviously weary pokemon, who smiled weakly and chirped her name before snuggling into her partner's arms. Naruto seemed surprised, and looked to his teacher for guidance.

"It's okay, she's just tired. She used one of her pokemon abilities to bring you here. Teleport if I'm not mistaken. She probably felt how big of a hurry you were in and helped out the best way she could." Iruka rubbed her head as he spoke quietly to Naruto.

Iruka sent a surreptuous glance around the room to gauge the expressions of the students and workers. Most of the new genin seemed intrigued by the unusual ability, probably wondering what abilities their own pokemon might possess. But the one secretary on duty at this early hour couldn't stop staring at Naruto, at least until a stern call from the Hokage had her rushing up to his office.

"Well, now that we're all here," Iruka began in a clear but still subdued voice. "We can get on with today's tasks. I want you all to line up, our destination is the 'Pokemon Identification Terminal'. This is one of the most well guarded facilities in Konoha, so please stay close and try not to wander."

The teacher led them down through the bowels of the tower, which had just as many levels below ground as above. They passed three floors dominated by record depositories before finally entering a largish room dominated by a futuristic screen on the far wall. On the floor in front of the screen was a dimly lighted square approximately five feet to a side.

As the students and pokemon filed in, they invariably took positions far from the device, which suited Iruka just fine. Once everyone was inside the spacious chamber, Iruka called out his Exploud. With a shared glance, the two stepped simultaniously onto the glowing square.

Immediately the screen lit up as the words "IDENTIFYING USER... ACCESS GRANTED" flashed across it in large letters.

As the screen dimmed, the students saw a creature that was unusual even by their newly expanded definition of the word. A pink and blue creature with large yellow eyes stared out from the screen.

"GREETINGS USER UMINO," a metalic voice projected, "MY DESIGNATION IS PORYGON-Z, AND I SHALL BE YOUR ATTENDANT TODAY. WHAT MAY I ASSIST YOU WITH?"

"First, can you reduce the volume please?"

"OF COUrse, User Umino. If this is a satisfactory decibel level, we may proceed when you are ready."

"Thank you, that is perfect. I would like to access instatement protocols for nine new genin."

"Instatement protocols require class B authorization to initiate. Validating permissions... Approved. Please proceed with biological scan now."

As Iruka stepped away fron the square, the odd being on the screen began spinning in place slowly. Disturbingly, it's head spun in a direction opposite from it's disconnected body.

Iruka turned to his young audience and explained the process he had just begun. "Okay, all of you have spoken with the Hokage about your pokemon's natures and abilities, so I expect you have some idea of what your pokemon are capable of. However, this device will give you a more complete overview of what they can do. One pair at a time, you will step on the square just as I did. Are there any volunteers to go first?"

He expected Naruto to jump at the chance, but the boy looked to the stirring pokemon in his arms and remained where he was.

Instead it was Sasuke, who had begun moving the moment Iruka finished speaking, that stepped onto the panel, his orange reptilian pokemon less than a pace behind him.

Once both were within the glowing square, bright light engulfed them before fading to a blue grid pattern projected on the space within the square fully to the ceiling. The grid flickered rapidly along Sasuke and his pokemon's bodies as three dimensional renders of them appeared within the screen. Once the display completed, the grid vanished silently.

"Instatement protocol, first subject, biological analysis complete. Human subject: Sasuke Uchiha. Pokemon subject: Charmander. Accessing records on human subject now... Complete. Displaying approximate statistical calculations."

On the large screen, the representations of Sasuke and his Charmander moved to the center to make room for graphical breakdowns of their individual abilities.

Sasuke was unsurprised by his multitude of high scores, though he did notice that Charmander seemed to be paying close attention to them. Regardless, what truely interested him was the pokemon's information.

The statistical breakdown was impressive, Charmander was rated highly in 'Speed' and 'Special attack', which he remembered being the pokemon equivalent of ninjutsu, as well as above average in 'Attack', which should refer to physical capabilities similar to Taijutsu. In contrast, his defensive abilities were average at best. Three elemental weaknesses could be troublesome, but it was counterbalanced by five resistances. His element of fire was hardly surprising, and as Sasuke had already learned from his own research at the Uchiha archives, there was one known and one unknown evolution for Charmander to achieve.

A number of Uchiha had been partnered with the fiery pokemon in the past, but none had managed to learn the secret of their highest form. Sasuke was determined that he would be the one to finally do so.

Finally, he was listed as having an innate ability called 'Blaze', which it said would increase the force of Charmander's fire attacks if injured in battle. This information could prove quite useful, coupled with his new knowledge of Charmander's first elemental attack: Ember.

Satisfied that he had gleaned all the information he needed about his new ally, Sasuke turned and strolled from the square to lean against the wall near the door.

Charmander continued looking over the information for a few more moments, before turning and walking to his partner at a deliberatly casual pace. Sasuke glowered at the act of rebellion, but said nothing.

Iruka stepped forward once the screen returned to the creature with it's oddly spinning body parts. "Now, since you have all seen how it is done and what is expected of you. I want you to one at a time with your pokemon, in an _orderly_ manner, continue."

As the genin and pokemon shuffled around, Iruka wondered what unusual details might arise from the other pokemon's identifications. According to the Hokage, there were a few even his Infernape knew little about.

Immediately and expectedly, Sakura and Ino shoved their ways to the front and began one of their nearly traditional shoving matches to be first, which quickly digressed into a debate over who had the better pokemon and thus deserved 'Sasuke-kun' more.

The two were so preoccupied they didn't even notice when Kiba boldly sauntered past and into the square. Their argument did fall off when the machine lit up once more and they realized they missed their chance to be second.

The computer's representation showed some error warnings momentarily, before removing a digital representation of Akamaru from the displayed Kiba's head. After that, things proceeded as smoothly as they did with Sasuke.

"Instatement protocol, second subject, biological analysis complete. Human subject: Kiba Inuzuka. Pokemon subject: Cranidos. Accessing records on human subject now... Complete. Displaying approximate statistical calculations."

As the graphs appeared on the screen, even Iruka was forced to look at the dimunitive blue and grey reptile in surprise. It's attack stat was through the roof. True the only other stats worth noting were it's health and speed, which were above average, but the rest were woefully low. Kiba could have a powerful ally, but it's endurance would probably have to be trained up. Thankfully it's Rock typing would give it a boost against many attacks, as long as it's multitude of weaknesses were avoided.

Kiba's stats by contrast, were no surprise to anyone. Decent to high combat potential, particularly in regards to taijutsu, with terrible mental attributes. Kiba of course barely noticed them, fully confident in his own skills.

Kiba's was one of the pokemon that was a virtual unknown to Infernape, and Porygon-Z helpfully included a bit of information for them.

"Records surviving from the era before ninja suggest that Cranidos lived deep in jungles about one-hundred million years ago. Its cranium is as hard as steel, and it would snap obstructing trees with headbutts."

"A hundred million years? Damn Cranidos, talk about old school!" Kiba cheered holding his fist out for the pokemon to bump, then shaking his aching limb from it's enthusiastic headbutt.

It's listed attack was that headbutt actually, though Iruka assumed the pokemon hadn't really attacked it's partner. However, with an ability like Moldbreaker, it was probably best not to assume anything about the ancient species.

The last information available was a single step evolution tree, obviously unidentified.

As Kiba and his two allies left the grid, Sakura shoved her rival into the waiting group where she was caught by Chouji, and dashed onto the platform with her doglike Eevee.

As before, the machine lit up and in a short time later, they were all looking at a digital image of Sakura and Eevee surounded by statistics and information.

Sakura's statistics were a nearly polar opposite of Kiba's, neither surprising nor particularly encouraging. Sadly for the pink haired girl, her pokemon was almost uniformly average and a pure Normal type.

Her spirits picked up a bit when she read the rest of the information, Eevee would be perfect for helping Sasuke-kun achieve his goals!

It's combat techniquee was listed as Helping Hand, a support skill capable of enhancing an ally's attacks, And it's ability was Anticipation, which was supposed to be the ability to sense opponents with particularly dangerous abilities.

The sheer variety of evolutionary options was staggering too. it could evolve seven different ways!

_'Let's see Ino-pig top that with her stupid grass type!' _ she thought victoriously.

As she flounced her way over to Sasuke, she stuck her tongue out at her rival, who was fuming silently.

Shoving Chouji away roughly, Ino stormed into the square, her Oddish hopping behind hastily.

As soon as her stats appeared, she turned a cocky smirk Sakura's way, reveling in the fact that Sakura only beat her in Genjutsu, test scores and chakra control. As soon as her opponent's self satisfied expression faded to one of embarassment at the obvious difference in their practical skills, Ino turned back to the screen.

She knew a lot about Oddish's abilities, since her dad had raised one into his current Vileplume, but Ino hoped that hers turned into the so much cuter Bellossom.

As her father had warned her, Oddish had low Speed, and high Special attack, with above average Special Defense. The rest was average, but unlike her rival in love, Ino had more experience working with her pokemon and knew what it's next form would be. She had no doubt that she would come out ahead in the end.

It's ability was listed as Chlorophyl, which was certain to help bring Oddish's weak speed up. It might even be constant, with her sunny personality! Even if that wasn't enough to put her ahead, Oddish starting with the energy draining Absorb attack was certain to give her an edge against any opponent.

Ignoring the evolutionary information, which she already knew, Ino stalked confidently over to her former best friend, every line of her stance radiating a challenge she knew Sakura would be unable to reciprocate.

"Might as well get this troublesome thing over with," the laziest genin present grumbled as he plodded forward. The strange looking pokemon floating behind him hummed mechanically as it followed.

It took longer for Shikamru to make it to his place than it did for the machine to process it's summary.

To call Shikamaru's abilities average would be an understatement. The boy had walked the line of mediocrity with more dedication than he devoted to any other pursuit save cloudwatching. The only exceptions were his taijutsu and intellegence. Apparently the physically demanding sparring required more effort than he was willing to spend to even become average, and an IQ of his level was almost impossible to completely conceal.

Contrasting sharply with Shakamaru's uniform scores, Beldum's were widely varied. Low Speed and Special attack, and below average Health, leading up to average Attack and Special Defense and very high Defense. Coupled with few weaknesses and a plethora of resistances, the Steel/Psychic type seemed like an impressive ally.

A possible reason for it's impressive defensive abilities became apparent when Shikamaru read further. The Take Down attack Beldum posessed was primitive and unpleasant. Recklessly ramming oneself into opponents had to be a drag for the user. It's ability too was unusual, Clear Body? It prevented reduction of stats, but what the heck does that mean? Would it not get weak when exhausted? Or would it only prevent certain effects from specific sources?

Groaning at the idea of having to either do research or experimentation to get a complete picture of what his ally was capable of, he spared a glance at the three stage evolution chart, only the first of which was identified. "Damn troublesome pokemon," he complained without emotion as he slouched away.

Looking after his best friend worriedly, Chouji decided he might as well be next.

Chouji was surprised when he saw his own ability graph, were his scores supposed to be that high? True, they weren't all impressive, and his low ones were really low, but he really expected to be near the bottom.

_"Maybe Shika isn't just being a good friend when he tells me I'm stronger than I think?"_

As Chouji expected, his little Steel/Rock pokemon had impressive Defense, and decent Attack. The rest were average or below, but Chouji was confident Aron could help him protect his friends, especially considering the veritable wall of elements it was resistant to.

Porygon-Z again supplied some useful information, this time answering a problem that had arisen shortly after Aron hatched. Apparently this pokemon had a unique diet: It only ate metal, most frequently simple iron. Chouji couldn't wait to tell his parents the good news.

He and his family had been beside themselves with worry over the poor thing when it refused to eat any of the succulent dishes they prepared, and instead ate all the kunai, shuriken, and silverware it could reach. Unfortunately, it seemed Chouji would be spending a lot more money at the ninja supply store in the future...

The ability 'Sturdy' proved that the little guy was built to shrug off the hardest of blows, and the combat skill of Harden could only improve on that fact.

Aron could evolve twice, both of which had been seen by Konoha nin, but only as foreign pokemon from what the display said. It seemed Chouji would be on his own figuring the little guy out, but that seemed to be a theme for his class.

As Chouji moved away, he fished a shuriken from his pouch and grinned when his new friend started gnawing on it happily.

When no one stepped immediately to go next, Hinata looked around nervously. Naruto-kun was holding Ralts-chan and sitting against the wall. She been jarred awake when the screen first spoke, before Iruka-sensei had quieted it. Naruto-kun was so kind to his pokemon, and it looked almost like a little baby... She wondered if Naruto would be as good to his future children as he was to Ralts...

As she felt her face heat up from the unbidden imaginings that thought produced, she realized Ralts was gazing at her with an expression of curiosity. Turning forward as quickly as she could, she was startled when a quiet voice spoke from beside her.

"Hinata-san, do you intend to proceed, or do you wish to delay? Why would you delay you ask? Perhaps so that you might speak with Uzumaki-san in relative privacy." Shino said faintly.

Hinata stared a moment before realizing she, Naruto-kun and Shino were the last ones on this side of the room. Everyone else was milling around discussing their pokemon on the far side of the room. Aside from Shino, the closest person to them was Iruka-sensei, who was leaning against the door looking mildly bored.

As she looked up to tell her bug using friend to go on ahead, she found herself surrounded by light. She silently berated her traitorous feet for costing her such a perfect opportunity to be almost alone with her paramour. As she looked down, intending to give said limbs a proper Hyuuga glare, she found her face full of Vulpix.

She had nearly forgotten the fox pokemon in her arms, who licked her face happily. She snuggled her face into the pokemon's fur, partly as apology and partly for comfort, as she waited for the machine to complete it's dreaded analysis.

When it stated it's completion, she forced herself to look at her results. She tried to look at it objectively, to be proud of her high points, but she knew those wouldn't be enough to make the Hyuuga elders, or even her father, satisfied.

Quickly moving on, she looked at Vulpix's scores. She knew they wouldn't impress her clan either. High Speed and Special Defense, and average everywhere else. The elders wouldn't say much, they never did, but she knew what they would think.

'Hyuuga heirs are not average, they must be the best of the best. And their pokemon can be no different.'

She could feel their disappointment already. She had already heard murmers about how Vulpix was a bad omen, a fox with multiple tails in Konoha? How could it be otherwise?

Well Vulpix was hers and those stuffy old elders couldn't take her away!

Firming her resolve as much as she could, she moved to the next panel. It listed Vulpix's ability as "Flash Fire", which gave her the ability to absorb fire to increase her own abilities temporarily. And the listed attack, Incinerate, was said to be able to destroy most flammable objects with ease.

Vulpix could evolve one time. Less impressive than Sasuke-san's three, which she knew Vulpix would be compared to, but she wouldn't trade her pokemon for anything. Not even the approval of her family.

Naruto-kun would never consider such a thing and neither would she.

Shino watched the shy girl walk towards the gathered students in confusion. He could understand her accidently backing onto the platform after he had startled her, but why didn't she just come back to this side afterwards? Iruka-sensei hadn't established any proper organization for the room's occupants, and he knew she desired to spend more time around Uzumaki-san.

Deciding it was none of his concern, Shino moved toward the platform, since Naruto had yet to rise from his seated position. As he stepped within the designated space, his pokemon skuttled out from under his bulky coat and onto his arm.

Nincada flinched when the gridlike light came on, but settled quickly. Before long Shino stood considering the wealth of data before him.

His own skills were as he himself would have calculated, above average, with peaks in regards to ninjutsu and intelligence. His more physical attributes could always be bolstered, but he disdained the risk off close quarters fighting, where a single well timed jutsu could wreak havok with himself and his hive.

Shifting his attention to the less predictable merits of his newest insectile comrade, he frowned. Nincada's Defensive ability was impressive, but it's other capacities were suboptimal. This was hardly surprising, Shino had surmised that the pokemon was essentially the larval form of it's evolutionary self.

He stroked the nervous pokemon's back as he read on, studying the advantages and vulnerabilities of the creature so that he could most efficiently plan for it's involvement in any future conflicts. It's type was Bug/Ground, granting it a rather balanced list of weaknesses versus resistances, for which Shino was thankful.

The ability it posessed was called "Compound Eyes", which was said to increase the creature's accuracy, a useful trait indeed. Perhaps it's attacks would not be quite so devastating as another's, but he knew that an attack that cannot connect is useless. It also posessed an attack skill called Dig, which wasn't particularly surprising, considering the mess it had made in his room trying to burrow through the wooden floors, until he had arranged for a large container of dirt to be brought in for it's comfort.

It's evolutionary data was quite peculiar. It looked like a one step evolution, but there while Nincada was distinctly at one end of the line, two pokemon were at the other. The identified pokemon, Ninjask, and an unknown.

His first instinct was to assume a mistake in the data entry, but that seemed unlikely. He doubted there was any information about their kind that Porygon-Z and his kin was unaware of, only the traditions and stipulations within the agreements among themselves and the different villages decided what they were willing to supply.

Resolving to watch for any peculiarities involved in Nincada's evolution, Shino abdicated the platform and made his way to the distracted Naruto.

More than a minute later, when the blond looked up to see the accidently imposing genin, he couldn't help but jump to his feet in surprise. Ralts chirped a happy sounding comment to Shino's Nincada, who returned it with a wave of a foreclaw.

"You are the final uninstated genin among us, it would be unwise to linger too long." Shino remarked before Naruto could find his usually effusive tongue. Marching away in the closest thing to an offended manner he would allow himself to use, Shino wondered why it was that everyone seemed to overlook him so easily?

Scratching his head at the uncharacteristicly swift departure of the strange and creepy Aburame, Naruto eventually shrugged it off and moved to the platform.

Iruka perked up as the grid began it's work, Naruto had apparently waited until last. Not something he would have expected, but perhaps Ralts was more exhausted than he thought?

As Naruto's ability scores were displayed, Iruka felt a bit of sympathy for him. Most were about as low as they could go for a graduate, though notable exceptions were Naruto's stamina and chakra capacity, which easily outshone anyone in the class. Either that fact satisfied Naruto, or he intended to make sure those low numbers were replaced soon, because he didn't look the slightest bit unsettled as his gaze shifted to Ralts' section.

Here, he did frown slightly, but perked up immediately and tousled Ralts' hair as he spoke quietly to her. She perked up too, pumping her fingerless fist in the air. Were he a betting man, the teacher would have laid money that Naruto swore to help her train and get strong, not that he'd have done otherwise even if her scores hadn't been almost as abysmal as his own. Not a single one of her abilities were scored above average.

Hinata felt sad for Naruto, she was looking closely at Ralts' display, hoping to find some way to endear herself to the pokemon she had caught watching her off and on throughout the day. Was Ralts suspicious of her? Did the pokemon find her somehow unpleasant? Hinata certainly hoped not, it would be difficult to be close to the boy she so admired if his pokemon objected...

As with the other unrecorded pokemon, Porygon-Z supplied it's morsel of information: "Ralts: the Feeling Pokemon. Ralts is highly attuned to the feelings of people and pokemon, which it senses through the horns on it's head. When around positive emotions, it's body warms up slightly."

Hinata was breathing rapidly, a very un-Hyuuga thing to do, almost as bad as hyperventilating, which she was most certainly not doing. Hyuuga, even clan failures simply do not hyperventilate. Working hard to calm herself, she tried to think positively. _"Okay, Ralts-chan can sense emotions. Ralts-chan must sense MY emotions. She must know my secret! What do I do? What do I do?" _

In her nervous panic, she accidently hugged Vulpix too hard, causing the poor fox creature to bark out a tongue of flame, which allmost scortched poor Kiba who had come over to try and settle the obviously distressed girl down.

Apologizing profusely to Vulpix, she wasn't too surprised to see the primadonna pokemon point her nose in the air and ignore her entreaties until Hinata promised to brush her coat until it shone. Once satisfied with the girl's peace offering, Vulpix yipped her name happily, unwittingly giving Hinata the reassurance she needed

_'Of course! She's a pokemon, Ralts-chan can't talk! My secret is safe!'_

"Hey hey, Iruka-sensei! It says here that her ability is Telepathy. What the heck does that mean?" Naruto-kun's yell pierced her mental celebration of the knowledge that she wouldn't have to suffer possible rejection from the boy of her dreams.

_'Telepathy'? Where do I know that word from?'_

"She has telepathy? That's great Naruto!" Iruka replied smiling. "That's a really rare ability, it should let her learn to speak with you mind to mind, Though I think it takes some time to develop..."

**Thump.**

Naruto and Iruka, along with the rest of the genin who hadn't already been watching, turned as they heard Hinata hit thr ground in a heap. Her Vulpix snifffed her a few times before licking her face and curling up to nap on her partner's stomach.

Despite his concern for his classmate, Naruto realized that he wouldn't be able to do anything more than Iruka-sensei and the other students already were. Although he did think it cruel that Ino and Sakura-chan seemed to be trying not to laugh as they roused the poor girl.

Refocusing on the screen, Naruto skimmed the combat section, already expecting teleport to be listed, which it was. Moving towards the evolutions, he found that Ralts had two, just as Infernape had said. He expected that with enough training, she would reach her next form and they would be an even stronger team.

Thanking the strange duck-like pokemon he could still see spinning idly behind the information, he turned and walked away. Porygon-Z, startled by the unexpected courtesy, stopped spinning awkwardly, and decided to file the event away for later consideration.

Once the screen cleared, the digital pokemon took center stage on it once more.

"All requested assignments are complete. Is there anything further with which I might assist you, User Umino?" it inquired.

"No thank you, it was a pleasure as always, Porygon-Z-san." Iruka replied, bowing respectfully. The students imitated him in an uneven wave.

"Then I will take my leave. Hard copies of all information aquired from this terminal have been forwarded to their predesignated locations. Review of any copy on file is available by request from your Kage or their properly authorized assistants. Have a pleasant day, and thank you for using this Pokemon Identification Terminal."

It's closing statement complete, the screen and square on the floor slowly darkened to the levels they were at when the group had arrived.

* * *

After escorting them back to the lobby, Iruka stopped them.

"I'm sure you are all eager to get out of here and grab some lunch, but there is one last task for me to perform before I release you fully as students..." Iruka blew out a deep sigh as he drew a small scroll from his pouch and unrolled it. He really didn't need it, but proper form should always be observed. Deciding to go by order of finalization rather that the somewhat random numerical designations, he began.

"Team assignments are as follows: Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara. You are assigned to team ten, led by jounin Asuma Sarutobi. You are to meet at five this evening in training ground one." Iruka ignored both the angry ranting of Ino at being assigned to a team with the two useless boys, and Shikamaru's mutters that at least they didn't have to walk far.

"Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. You are assigned to team eight, led by jounin Kurenai Yuuhi. You are to meet at five this evening at training ground fourteen." Hinata mumbled in astonishment at Kurenai-sensei gaining a genin team so soon after becoming a jounin, but it was mostly drowned out by Kiba's cheering and promises to become the strongest ninja ever. Adding to the cacophony were his two familiars, barking and roaring their agreement. Until an annoyed Vulpix sent a cone of fire at them, for which Hinata apologized repeatedly.

"Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno. You are assigned to team seven, led by jounin Kakashi Hatake. You are to meet at five this evening at training ground seven. I suggest you bring a book or something." he had to raise his voice after announcing Sakura's name simply to be heard over the girl's shrieks of victory. Naruto had been almost as excited, until he tried to join in on the girl's celebratory dance and got a sandal to the face as reward.

He heard Exploud's familiar whistling, but hastily stopped it before it could release it's call. Sarutobi-sama didn't really appreciate having such racket in his tower. Thankfully the whistling alone was enough to get the former students attentions off each other and onto plugging their ears as hard as they could.

When they had all finally released their auditory protections, Iruka concluded his day's work.

"As I said the last day of class, I am proud of you all. I know you will continue to grow stronger and prove to the world just what it is that makes Konohagakure the foremost hidden village in the elemental countries. I would like you all to remember: You are the face of Konoha. While on missions, your actions reflect upon us as surely as if you were the Hokage himself. So always act with honor and dignity, and never hesitate to improve the world we live in. "

Looking around the room at the determined (and not so determined) faces of his students, Iruka decided he had kept them long enough. They were his precious students, but as with any child, it was time for them to make their mark on the world.

"For the last time... Class. Dismissed!" Stepping back andd formally saluting them, Iruka waited for all to respond before dropping his arm crisply. They repeated the gesture and filed through the door, most holding to the semi-formal atmosphere until they were at least outside.

Iruka sighed again. This was the worst part of the job, now that they were out in the real world, the invisible timer on their lives had begun. His only comfort was that he knew he had done, and in Naruto's case was still doing, all he could to prepare them.

Smiling wryly at the sentementality that never seemed to fade, he made his way up to the Hokage's office to discuss the day's revelations.

* * *

Author section:

Naruto Is NOT being handed the Hiraishin. Figured I'd get that out of the way first. He may learn it eventually, but he won't be able to reinvent it from scratcch simply because his pokemon knows Teleport. In this story Yondaime had an Abra, who is the undisputed master of teleporting. (I'm sure anyone who tried to catch one in pokemon red will hold a similar opinion) Likewise, Yondaime was a genius and Alakazam is reputed to have an IQ above five thousand (25x smarter than Shikamaru) and they apparently didn't have an easy time of inventing it either.

Naruto may learn Hiraishin, but it won't be until both Ralts reaches her Gardevoir stage, and Naruto gets his hands on Yondaime's notes on the technique, neither of which will happen for a considerable while.

(1) Seiza is a term for the sitting posture used in Japanese formal settings, like the tea ceremony. Honestly it was the only way I could think to describe Ralts' funky legs, I apologize if that seems odd or pretentious.

I believe I need to expand a bit on the planning information I listed in chapter one.

Evolutions: In this story, evolutions will be based on two criteria: Power (level) and desire (happiness). A pokemon must pass both criteria in order to evolve. If the have the strength but no desire, they will not evolve (similar to bulbasaur from the early series) and the same will happen if they have the desire but not the strength. No other forms of evolution, either from the series or games will be possible. This means that Hinata doesn't have to find a fire stone, and her clan can't force her to evolve it early, and Sakura doesn't have to hunt down random territory in order to turn Eevee into a leafeon or such. Alternatively you can see this as a way of saying "they evolve when and how the author decides" which is essentially true. I'm just trying to justify it in-world.

Moves: Each pokemon starts with two moves, the one listed and a Return/Frustration variant. This is to give some versatility to the story, since a pokemon should be able to attack in ways not limited by their official moveset. If Ralts needs to slap someone, she will. She doesn't know slap, but neither does she know a move similar to "Wake up slap" which is what her 'attack' on Naruto should be classified as. In regards to known moves, I have lists of moves each pokemon will learn as they grow. They will know every move on that list up to whatever their judged level is at the time, unless due to an evolution I feel they no longer qualify for that skill. These lists consist of every move the pokemon is capable of learning according to the generation five lists on Bulbapedia. This includes moves from leveling, TM's, breeding and move tutors where applicable. HM's are the exception, if I feel a pokemon has the ability to do something, I am not going to consult an HM list to see if they can.

Crossover characters: If I have plans to use a character type, rather than invent an OC, I may choose to use a crossover character who fits the archetype I want. In this chapter I used the Hughes couple from Fullmetal Alchemist, and Touji Suzuhara from Evangelion, and by accident possibly the idea of a Suzuhara shop from Bleach. In many cases these characters will act as secondary characters, whom I may tap occasionally for various purposes. I have no plans to bring any into a lead role, although I am planning one to be central to the storyline for a few chapters after the Chunin exams.

OC's: Almost always will be tertiary or temporary characters, despite the habits of some to demand more screen time than I originally intend. *glares at Keibou Wasuregachi* Some may pop up occasionally in the future, but that will happen based on inspiration and will probably not be central events. (except for villains and maybe a few entrants into the chunin exams)

Credit for information gathering should go to both Bulbapedia and Narutopedia, without which I would be incapable of writing this story simply due to knowledge limitations.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the update,

-Mhyrloc

* * *

Edit: 8/30/2011 - Response to reviews concerning Gardevoir vs Gallade

SPOILERS, FUTURE EVOLUTIONS REVEALED, DO NOT READ IF YOU WISH TO AVOID.

In light of certain reviews, I felt it warranted to illustrate my reasons for the various pokemon choices I have made thus far. While none of said reviews were within the range of what I would call flames, not by a long shot, I cannot resist a good discussion topic, hehe.

Naruto/Gardevoir: One of the primary factors in this decision is the cannonical influences in Naruto's life. In order of entry, to my understanding, they are: Sarutobi, Teuchi, Ayame, Iruka, Sakura, Sasuke. Limiting the timeline of the list to the start of the series of course.  
As you can see, the only female influences are Ayame, who acts as a big sister in a limited manner, and Sakura, who is a romantic interest with arguably abusive tendencies. (I would argue 'yes'.)  
Naruto has a significant number of male figures in his life: venerable grandfather in Sarutobi, responsible older brother in Iruka, fond uncle in Teuchi, and competitive brother in Sasuke.  
I felt that Ralts, or more accurately Kirlia and Gardevoir would be able to provide an alternate source of psychological development. Additionally, I can attest as an elder brother myself, that there tends to be an innate protective instinct toward one's younger sisters, while little brothers are for tormenting and otherwise toughening up.  
That Ralts and her evolutions posesses the Telepathic ability solves a secondary necessity, which Meowth covers in the series: It is damn hard to write for a creature that only has one spoken word, especially when that word is mono-syllabic. I assume by the series' Ralts severely limited use of the ability, that it's not easy to do. So similar to teleport, she will take time to adjust and utilize it to full effect.  
Under the right circumstances, I would have gone with Gallade, but only if it were to benefit Naruto more. Had I been aiming Naruto towards sword use Gallade would have definitely been a good choice, especially given his potential blade skills.

Sasuke/Charizard: Hardly a surprising choice, especially using Ash's as a base. They have a similar desire to grow stronger, though their methods differ, and similar rebellious streaks.

Sakura/Eevee: As one reviewer said "sakura deosn't desever eevee". Looking at Eevee as the extremely rare pokemon it is said to be in the series, and those who dislike Sakura would be inclined to agree. However, to be frank, this was something of a copout decision on my part. Thankfully, it is one that can work very well with what I have planned out.  
Sakura has a lot of potential, but at the time in the story in which the decision had to be made, she is a blank slate. She has the ability to make herself into almost anything, given the right teacher and a modicum of effort, but she wastes the time chasing Sasuke instead.  
With her chakra control, Kurenai could make a genjutsu queen out of her. Similarly, Tsunade does cannonically turn her into the second best medic in Konoha. And with her freakish strength,(even pre-Tsunade she could put Naruto down) I would love to see what Gai could do with her given a Taijutsu focus.  
I have no idea where Sakura will go in this story, so she has Eevee. Unless it chooses to evolve earlier, I know already when it will evolve. When that time comes I will see which direction Eevee is leaning towards, or run a poll for a couple chapters if it isn't particular.  
I will admit on a personal level, I don't much care for cannon Sakura or Sasuke, but both have the potential to be great. Just like with Danzo, I have vowed to treat them with the respect they deserve as characters and see where they go with it.

Hinata/Ninetales: Origionally I had intended to give Hinata Eevee, but when I realized it would work better with Sakura, I decided to change things up. While flipping through Bulbapedia I noticed Vulpix and realized it would be perfect for her.  
Most of the Hyuuga will be Ice types, or otherwise stoic pokemon. Hinata, as the clan oddball that she is, deserves something that stands out. The prim and princessly Vulpix sends a mixed signal to the clan, in that while not traditionally Hyuuga, it acts as an heir to royalty should, even if Hinata is the one tending to it rather than a servant. They also cannot argue against that, because it is an heir's responsibility as a proud ninja to care for their pokemon.

Shino/Ninjask/Shedinja: The Bug ninja and the Ninja bugs, I couldn't not use this.  
There will be limitations placed on their movesets to keep them from being too overpowering, but if you view them as a sword and shield, you should get the right idea.

Kiba/Rampardos: This guy drove me nuts. He changed partners in the brainstorming phase repeatedly. I couldn't use a dog type without erasing Akamaru, re-explaining Kiba's fighting style, or both. Eventually I just flipped through the pokemon list looking for one I felt I could write into a fight scene without it looking like a rewrite of Akamaru and found Rampardos.  
Posessing the highest Attack stat of any non-legendary, it's certainly the sort of pokemon Kiba would appreciate.

Ino/Bellossom: It would be odd to have all the characters receive pokemon that no one they knew had, so Ino being Daddy's princess, got Daddy's pokemon. Just with a little twist down the road. Easy idea, which saved me from studying every plant type for one that Ino would get along with.

Shikamaru/Metagross: Shikamaru is as logical as they come, at least while in combat. So he needed someone who could build on that, Steel types were the order of the day, and the second I saw Metagross I remembered the pokedex entry that lists it as a rival to Allakazam intellectually. Add the fact that it's large enough to nap on while traveling and it becomes the Shikamaru Special.

Chouji/Aggron: Another easy choice. A defensive ninja deserves a defensive pokemon. Remembering Aron's eating habits I got the mental image of Chouji with a bag of chips for himself and paperclips for Aron. It was that simple


	4. Does this test ring a bell?

(Edit: 2/22/12) I edited this chapter a bit, in response to a bit of time spent in Kakashi's head during the writing of chapter 9. If you're reading this chapter for the first time, feel free to disregard this.

Also, because it seems to be easier, I put the pokemon's moves Italicized in parentheses _(like so), _rather than listed at the end as it was in this chapter's first posting.

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

* * *

Kakashi smiled behind his mask as he stealthily observed his trio of potential students. Thus far, their actions had matched what he expected from them. Over the hours he had been spying, they had progressed quite rapidly through the expected stages.

An hour into the show, eager anticipation faded into denial as they refused to accept that a jounin might be late. Obviously they had gotten the arrival time wrong, right? Nevermind that the delay might just be the beginning of their real test. A ninja being unnecessarily cruel to their own genin? Perish the thought.

Denial flowed swiftly to anger, demonstrated enthusiastically by the pink one decking the blond one for offering to buy her dinner to celebrate their graduation. Talk about ungrateful. Even Rin hadn't been so harsh in her refusals of Obito. As Uzumaki got up and dusted himself off, he called out something about them doing it some other time. Of course, Obito hadn't been quite that persistant either...

When they reached the bargaining stage, Kakashi found himself having to restrain himself from laughing. Offering pitiful bribes to fate, Arceus and even himself, though they didn't know he could hear them. The pink one, Haruno he believed, quickly moved from empty promises to equally worthless but far more disturbing threats. Despite himself he felt a shivver of unease at the descriptions that girl inspired, it was bad enough that both boys cautiously edged further away from her. The first movement he had seen from the Uchiha actually. Thankfully they were occupied enough with their own concerns that Kakashi was the only one who noticed the little green haired pokemon stare right into his hiding spot at that moment.

Carefully moving to a new location, in case the pokemon had somehow spotted him, Kakashi waited for them to reach the depression stage. It hit the boys faster than the still angry girl, though even he was hard pressed to recognize it on the Uchiha's face. Their early gloom was possibly a side effect of hearing her describe multiple ways to enmasculate any male she could catch. Thankfully, her practical skills limited her options to elderly Slowpokes at best. Eventually though, she ran out of steam too and settled down into a huff.

Looking to the lowering set sun in the distance, Kakashi considered it briefly before deciding the three had taken nearly two and a half hours to reach this point. Not a bad degree of tolerance, he grudgingly admitted. Patience was one of a ninja's greatest talents, and while only the Uchiha seemed particularly adept at exercising it without obvious signs of displeasure, their clan did have something of an advantage in that regard. A flat refusal to admit to human limitations did wonders for teaching people to act like statues..

Watching closely, he wanted to time his arrival perfectly. It took nearly another half hour before the blond brat started showing signs of the final stage of Kakashi's little game, acceptance. Well, couldn't have such a darling little genin realizing that there's nothing he could do to change the way the world works, can we?

With a swirl of leaves Kakashi appeared in all his laid back glory. "Sorry I'm late," he drawled with an odd gleam in his one visible eye. "I got lost on the road of life."

"You liar!" shrieked the pink haired banshee as she shot to her feet and stormed toward him. "Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting here! I have half a mind to come over there and kick mmphmhMM!"

Kakashi's visible eyebrow lifted in amusement as the girl's Eevee tripped her and then leapt to the girl's head, holding her down while she thrashed uncoordinatedly.

"Anticipation?" he asked the furry creature, his voice shocking the face down girl to stillness.

Eevee gave the jounin a shaky dog smile and thrilled her name weakly in agreement.

"Good girl," Kakashi replied as he patted it on the head and walked away to perch himself on one of the training logs. _'Pokemon: one, genin: zero.' _he mused as he waited for them to get the hint and approach him.

When they finally did, he gestured to them to take their seats on the ground, Eevee and Ralts settled into their partner's laps, while Charmander stood nearby. Pinky continued to shoot him glares and grumble threats under her breath.

Eye smiling at new ninja silently was always a fun way to pass the time, so he did. And he kept it right up until the annoying girl had shut up and was shifting nervously. The two boys had quietly scooted away from her while he did, obviously not wanting to be caught in whatever response he had planned.

Oh, if only they knew. _'Penalty! Minus two points to potential team seven: abandoning an ally in their time of need.'_ he thought gleefully. It got easier to find reasons to fail the little brats every year.

Once he felt the trio well and truly intimidated, he decided to get on with it. No reason to waste more of his day than necessary afterall, the night is young and Icha Icha awaits.

"Well," he began, "now that we're all here and settled. Why don't we get to know one another, hmm?" After making a show of looking the three over he pointed at Sakura. "Pinky, you're first. Why don't you tell us about yourself? Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams, that sort of thing."

"What?" Sakura stammered. "Why me? We know each other already! Why don't you introduce yourself first!"

The jounin adopted a thoughtful posture before answering. "Hmm, yes, I suppose you're right... Very well then, my name is Kakashi Hatake. I like some things, and dislike others. Hobbies? Hmm..." He made a show of looking them over again. "I'm afraid you're all to young to hear about those... I guess that means I can't tell you about my dreams either."

He eye smiled at the three while they processed the lack of information, Haruno's bright red face hinting that she at least had a perverted mind. As if there weren't other hobbies that children were discouraged from learning about. Cage fighting for instance. Or maybe homebrewing his own sake...

"Wasn't that fun?" He asked cheerfully, "Now then, Pinky was about to tell us about herself."

Immediately her eyes shifted towards the Uchiha, surprise surprise. Shooting her new teacher one last glare she took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. It was a remarkably useless effort, given where her thoughts almost immediately turned.

"Fine. My name is Sakura Haruno, and my likes are... well the person I like is..." She was stealing so many looks at the Uchiha that Kakashi could have figured it out half asleep on the bad end of a week long bender.

"Okay, okay, we get it." Kakashi interrupted. "You like the Uchiha. Time to move on with the introduction, and let's just skip the dreams part, I don't see any reason to corrupt innocent week old pokemon with your fantasies."

Sakura, her face even redder than it was after Kakashi's introduction tried to continue, futily. "Lets see... um... Hobbies, right. My hobbies are... um..." More glancing at Sasuke.

Covering his eye with his palm, Kakashi groaned and cursed whatever deity created fangirls. "Fine, forget it. At least tell me what you hate."

"Naruto!" She replied without hesitation. Kakashi noted the blond's deflated expression and how the girl didn't even bother looking at him.

_'Just another happy day in the village hidden in the fangirls.' _Kakashi thought grimly. "Fine, one last question and we can move on: Where does Eevee fit into your little obsession?"

The girl, bless her forehead and the Uchiha posters probably plastered across the space within, had the gall to look confused. "Eevee?" She repeated, absently putting her hand on the creature, before the question clicked. "Well of course I like Eevee, why wouldn't I?"

"Then why didn't you say so?" Kakashi replied in a stern voice. Leaving the girl to her confusion, he turned to the blond brat. "Your turn: Likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams. Go."

The kid pulled himself up as best he could while sitting with an infantile pokemon in his lap and began a speech he had probably begun composing the instant Kakashi mentioned the introductions.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like ramen and Ralts-chan and Jiji and Iruka-sensei, Teuchi-jiisan and Ayame-neechan. I don't like waiting three minutes for ramen to finish, and I really don't like that Iruka-sensei says I have to stop eating it so much, but I'll do it for Ralts-chan! My hobby is training to become a better ninja, and my dream is to become the best Hokage ever! Dattebayo!"

It was somewhat amusing to see the little Ralts pump her arm in the air with Naruto and cheer along with him at the end. At least this one had a good rapport with their pokemon, but the team had to prove themselves viable as a group.

"Hokage, huh? Well, better you than me." The cycloptean jounin deadpanned as he gestured to the last genin. He didn't miss Naruto puff himself up beligerently, nor the way that the little pokemon calmed him with a touch and soft word. Perhaps there was more to the pair than was readily apparent. He certainly hadn't forgotten the odd way the pokemon seemed to find him earlier.

The last genin sat glowering, the very picture of typical Uchiha self-assured superiority. He gazed at the jounin with a gleam in his eye that boded ill for future enemies and, if not carefully managed, allies as well. Unlike the other pokemon who seemed content to follow their human partner's lead, Charmander stood tall and watched Kakashi, flame-tipped tail swaying and a speculative expression on it's reptilian face.

My name is Sasuke Uchiha." He began deliberately, "There are few things I like, and many I hate. I have one dre... No, one ambition, I will revive my clan, and kill the man I hate most."

"I see," Kakashi replied, once he was certain Sasuke had said all he intended to volunteer. "Do you have any hobbies? And where does Charmander fit into your ambitions? Not the restoration part I hope."

Sasuke glared at the instructor before answering. "I don't have time to waste on hobbies, and Charmander will evolve and help me kill that man!" He growled fiercely. The Uchiha either didn't notice or chose to ignore the amused snort that came from his scaled ally.

_'Okay, I have a fangirl, a noodle nut, and a budding sociopath. I wonder if the Hokage will let me flunk them on principle?' _Kakashi gave up that hope sooner than he would have preferred, Sarutobi-sama would never let him dismiss a team out of hand.

"Well, now that we know each other a little better, I suppose I should explain the plan for tomorrow, hmm?" He mused, giving the team yet another eye smile. "I want you here at eight in the morning for a team survival exercise, so bring your gear and don't be late... Oh, and I plan to work you cute little genin hard, so don't bother with breakfast. I'd rather you not throw up on me."

Leaving that disturbing thought as his parting message, Kakashi disappeared the same way he arrived. Leaving three puzzled children and their pokemon.

"Didn't we already learn all the survival exercises in the academy?" Sakura wondered aloud as she pulled herself off the ground.

Sasuke grunted in response and stalked off, Sakura trailing in his wake chattering about a celebratory dinner she wanted to invite him to. Behind them both, Charmander and Eevee bid their own farewells to Naruto and Ralts, before following their partners.

Naruto, who had intended to ask Sakura-chan out himself, let his arm drop dejectedly. Forcing a grin, he turned to the pokemon in his arms. "C'mon, Ralts-chan. Let's go tell Iruka-sensei the good news." To his surprise, Naruto found his vision obscured by a flash of blue, which cleared to reveal Iruka-sensei's back door. Smiling genuinely at the cheeky little pokemon in his arms, Naruto hoped Iruka-sensei had something to eat waiting, or that he wouldn't mind them eating ramen. He certainly didn't have much time for studying if he was to get up early in the morning.

Back in the clearing, a surprised Kakashi rescued his book from the ground, thankful that it wasn't yet cool enough for the grass to collect dew. As he looked at the area Naruto and his odd pokemon had vanished from, he couldn't help but wonder if things might not go quite the way he expected...

Shrugging that thought away for later, he relocated the page he was on and got back to the more intriguing escapades of Chiziru as she evaded Tatsuki and tried to seduce their mutual love interest, the oblivious Orihime.

_'Oh Jiraya-sama, where do you get these ideas?'_

* * *

Kakashi was already lounging in a tree reading when the first of his prospective students arrived.

Predictably it was the fangirl, half an hour early, probably hoping for some time alone with the Uchiha. He watched with some annoyance as she pulled a makeup mirror from the understocked pouch at her hip and set about making sure she looked just right. Once that was done she settled herself just so at the base of a nearby tree. Interestingly enough, Eevee had wandered away, choosing instead to find a grassy spot lit by the still low sun to nap in.

Kakashi groaned silently at the girl's obvious intent. As if anything she did today would spontaniously inspire undying affection in a boy who had ignored her advances for years. Putting it out of his mind for now, he returned to his book.

Sasuke and Charmander arrived exactly on time, striding into the field with his typical stoicism. Any demure illusions Sakura might have been trying to weave shattered the moment he looked in her direction, as she immediately started calling for him to sit next to her while they wait for 'that idiot' Naruto and their teacher.

Kakashi's expectations were again accurate, as both moved further away. Sasuke opted to lean against one of the training posts. Charmander hopped up the pile of stones nearby, perching near the top to stare intently towards the rising sun. Strange, but perhaps the firey reptiles bore a kind of reverance for the giant flaming sphere. Or maybe it was just watching for a small and tasty animal to greet the day.

Naruto rushed in a few minutes later, out of breath and having obviously overslept. Spotting Sakura under her carefully chosen tree, the stubborn boy made his way over to her and sat down. The blond was probably the only one surprised when she rose and stormed away, choosing instead to sit near Eevee in the sun.

Dejectedly, Naruto remained where he sat. Ralts leaned over his shoulder from her carrier, cooing at him comfortingly while petting his hair. Naruto smiled softly at his most loyal friend before reaching back to pull the tiny creature into his lap. Removing the carrier backpack, he leaned against the tree, rubbing Ralts' head idly as he watched the clouds float by.

Kakashi snorted softly at the scene before him, the three were nearly as far from each other as they could get without leaving the training field. At least they should be talking, getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses, even trying to kick each others asses would be an improvement over their actions.

Returning to his book, he resolved to keep a metaphorical eye on the children, in case anything unexpected occured. For their sakes, something had better.

Kakashi had read nearly two chapters before soft talking pulled his attention to the pair by the tree. Naruto was talking with Ralts, apparently asking her a question of some sort. The little pokemon answered with an enthusiastic affirmation, which made the blond smile broadly as he pulled over the backpack and started rooting around inside it.

The other four in the field were paying attention, though the humans pretended otherwise. Naruto retrieved a small tarp and spread it on the ground before him and rummaged through the pack again while Ralts worked to smooth it out.

When the boy returned his attention to the pokemon and her efforts, he carried a notebook, a textbook, and what looked like a small box. As he settled beside the tarp, Ralts reclaimed her place on his lap. Naruto opened the textbook to a section bookmarked by a slip of paper.

Naruto consulted that slip for a moment before pulling a face and opening the notebook to an obviously blank page. Setting the two on an out of the way section of the tarp, he picked up the box and shook out a deck of cards.

His two teammates returned to actually ignoring him, deciding he was just up to some further stupidity. Kakashi however, uncovered his hidden eye for a closer look. Naruto had separated one card from the deck and set it near the books, then began shuffling the rest. From the glimpses his Sharingan afforded him, Kakashi realized the cards had handsigns depicted on them.

Curiosity piqued, he took a closer look at the textbook. It was obscured by the notebook, but he could see enough to guess that it was open to a section on handsigns and their meanings. He had heard that the chunin teacher Iruka Umino had been tasked with educating the boy properly, but this certainly wasn't part off the standard curriculuum.

Returning his headband to it's usual position, he watched as Naruto placed the cards in a basic pattern on the tarp. Six rows wide by four tall, for a total of twenty-four cards, two of each he would wager. So, Umino had Naruto studying handsigns and developing his memorization and observation skills with a non-standard card deck. Innovative, but why the textbook?

Kakashi, decided that his book could wait a few minutes. The anticipation would make the next scene all the sweeter, and it would be hard to properly appreciate Jiraya-sama's work if he were distracted.

Lightly touching the card he had set aside, Kakashi sensed the boy channeling chakra through it. After a second or two of focussing, Naruto removed his finger, and to Kakashi's surprise, the cards became transparrent immediately. Apparently they were very non-standard.

Exactly one second after going transparrent, the cards began returning to opacity one at a time. Each one flashing to solidity just as fast as it had changed the first time. Kakashi wondered why they didn't all change at once, but immediately realized it was a distraction. Even from as far away as he was he could feel his eye drawn to the changing cards more than the visible ones. For the person studying them intently, such an act would probably play hell with their focus.

Once the cards were all dark again, the game became what he would have expected, a standard game of memory match. Naruto took his turn first, placing the cards he matched in a pile before him. When Ralts took her turn, she pointed out the cards she wanted, and Naruto flipped them for her.

The first game was embarrasing, neither one was very good, and Ralts had trouble differentiating between similar handsigns. As Naruto quietly explained the differences in finger position to the little pokemon, Kakashi realized how clever the game was. If he didn't know already, the Hokage would certainly hear about it from him. The academy students would have a huge advantage when they learned jutsu if they used this technique to teach handsigns to them younger.

Once the game ended, Naruto studied the five cards he'd claimed a moment before taking a calming breath and running through the signs in order repeatedly. When he was satisfied with that, he took up the notebook and the next phase of Kakashi's curiosity was answered.

Cloaking himself in a concealing jutsu, he moved to where he could watch Naruto write.

Naruto summarized the game, listing it's duration of nine rounds and his claimed cards: Horse, Boar, Dragon, Hare, and Tiger. Setting the notebook aside, he studied the textbook for a few minutes, muttering to himself all the while.

After that he grabbed the notebook and wrote a simplified estimate about what the signs might do if used as a jutsu. Kakashi's visible eye widened as a jolt went through him, he vanished in a shunshin as the green haired pokemon craned her neck back to look for him.

He settled heavily on his original branch, years of training keeping him silent even then. Talk about multitasking! That damn kid was learning lessons from first year basics to post academy education, all at the same time! As a game no less! Memory and observation, hand sign speed, accuracy and recognition, as well as basic jutsu creation. True, it was limited in scope, not taking into account repeated seals or the seal combinations required for most powerful techniques, but developing even a basic ability to identify enemy signs and react accordingly could mean the difference between life and death for a ninja.

It was also true that the differences in sign meaning between villages might cause trouble for an inflexible observer, but that's the sort of thing a jounin-sensei was responsible for fixing.

He judged the sun's movement, realizing that he hadn't even been an hour late yet. They had much longer to go before the real test. He checked the other two, neither one had moved much, though Sasuke was paying slightly more attention to Naruto, probably due to the hand signs he had done.

Though interesting, Kakashi decided these events had no effect on the test the genin were unknowingly a part of. Settling in comfortably, he returned to his book, keeping half an eye out for potential interaction between the two boys in particular.

* * *

Things remained predictably boring for the next hour, Naruto continued playing his game, displaying slow but steady improvement. Sakura looked his way occasionally, but never really gave him much attention, preferring to 'subtly' watch Sasuke while she lounged on the grass. As for the Uchiha, he continued to watch Naruto's actions curiously, though he was much more capable of hiding his interest than the fangirl.

He was mildly disappointed that Naruto's game seemed to be enough of an diversion that none of the three were showing the same degree of impatience as they had the previous night. Though Sakura did occasionally look at the sun and grumble in irritation.

His attention was pulled more fully from his beloved literature by Ralts' speaking. He glanced over to see her patting her stomach, obviously hungry. It seems at least one of them listened to his suggestion. Flipping his book closed, Kakashi turned his attention on the potential team completely, unlike the unexpected lessons, this was part of his initial test. Would the boy ignore his Pokemon's needs? Or would he leave to go get her food? Either one could be used to fail the unlucky genin...

* * *

Naruto was torn, he wanted to help Ralts-chan, really he did! But Kakashi sensei said for them not to eat breakfast... Wait, he said that so they wouldn't puke on him. Was he planning to hurt Ralt-chan in the training? And for that matter Kakashi-sensei was already two hours late. It was almost lunch time, and he was getting hungry too! Could the teacher really blame them for eating a snack in that case?

Stealing a glance at his young friend, he decided. Even if it got him in trouble with Kakashi-sensei, he wasn't gonna make Ralts-chan go hungry. Grabbing the carrier, Naruto opened the bottom pouch and dug out two of the ration bars Touji-san had sold him. The store manager had warned him that a ninja should always be ready for everything, especially not being able to find food reliably. Naruto took the advice to heart and dedicated a large section of the pack to storing a few weeks worth of the non perishable food.

Hearing the rough sound of the boy ripping the bars open, Sakura looked over to see Naruto eating some kind of candy bar, and feeding one to his pokemon no less! How dare he? Kakashi-sensei told them not to eat breakfast, and here this idiot was just chowing down on junk food! What if their teacher arrived and decided to punish them all for his stupidity?

Naruto looked up as she stomped over to him, dropping his food hastily as he pulled out another bar and held it up.

"Hey Sakura-chan, you hungry? I have a bunch." He offered, bright smile in place at the thought of being able to do something nice for his favorite female.

The pink haired girl tore the offending food stuff from the boys hand and threw it into the woods as hard as she could. Unnoticed by her, Charmander hopped down from his perch and stalked off after it curiously.

"How can you just sit there eating! Didn't Kakashi-sensei tell us to skip breakfast?" Sakura's rant was interrupted by the boy's unusually subdued voice.

"I was just trying to be nice." He said quietly, a hurt expression on his face as he stared at his empty hand. Sometimes he wondered why he cared so much for the easily angered girl, but every time she was scorned by the Teme, he couldn't help but feel the urge to make her happy again.

"What would be nice is if you stop messing around! What if Kakashi-sensei showed up and thought we were ignoring his orders too? I hope that's some damn good candy, because if you get us in trouble I swear I'll make sure you regret it!" Sakura stood tall before her seated opponent, smug with confidence that Sasuke-kun would be impressed at her reprimanding the 'Dobe'.

"It was a suggestion." Sasuke's cold voice corrected from his position at the training posts. "And this isn't junk food."

Sakura spun to watch as the boy who starred in her dreams ripped open the package that had been retrieved by his pokemon. With a dismissive flick of the hand, he launched the brown bar into the air, where Charmander caught and swallowed it in one motion. The orange pokemon's tail flicked in pleasure at the unexpected meal.

She flinched away as another package flew past her kunai-like, aimed at Sasuke's face, only for the boy to snatch it from the air and cock an impertinent eyebrow at his blond rival.

Naruto pulled two more from his bag and held them to Sakura hesitantly as he answered Sasuke's unspoken question.

"You're supposed to share with your teammates, right? Train together, fight together, eat together, that's what Iruka-sensei taught us. I have enough for everybody, and you all skipped breakfast too right?"

Sakura cast her eyes between the two boys, Naruto and the offer she had refused once already, and Sasuke who had tore into his after sparing the barest nod of thanks.

"But Kakashi-sensei said..." She stammered, trying to ignore her stomach's demands that she accept immedately.

"Then call it an early lunch," Naruto supplied helpfully, his smile creeping back into place.

She tenatively reached out and took hold of one of the bars. "I think I'll take one, for Eevee, I'm on a diet so..." Her stomach's sudden and voluminous protest to that idea left the girl pink with embarassment. Sadly, the sound was insufficient to fully drown out Sasuke's derisive snort.

Before she could gather herself, Naruto had taken both bars and put her hands around them, stepping away and picking up his book, flipping through it rapidly as he scanned the pages.

Searching for something to help her calm herself from the double dose of disproval from the Uchiha, she knelt and began breaking off and offering Eevee small chunks of the food.

Not much later Naruto exclaimed triumphantly. Despite themselves, the two visible humans turned their eyes to the boy. He flashed them both a huge grin, before clearing his throat and settling himself into a familiar pose and beginning to read aloud.

"On the matter of dietary requirements: Ninja, particularly those from civilian families must understand that certain patterns no longer hold true. Traditional civilian diets, specifically those intended for rapid weight loss, can be a danger to developing shinobi and kunoichi."

The two blinked in surprise, somewhat taken aback by Naruto's perfect duplication of Iruka's lecture mode habits and inflection.

"Once a ninja first accesses their chakra coils, traditional dieting is no longer a viable option. As the body adjusts to this new source of manipulable energy, it's needs inevitably change to support it's maintanence. Those who refuse to accept this fact will often find themselves weakened by malnutrition, potential long term consequences are as follows. Reduced stamina and strength resulting from impaired muscle growth. Reduced chakra potential due to the body reserving all available energy for use maintaining vital functions. In particularly severe circumstances mental degradation may occur, often the first sign of this is frequent loss of mental focus."

"Additionally, standard biological impairments may develop, including but not limited to: anemia, night blindness, an inability to absorb nutrients, and a reduction in the hormones necessary for procreation."

"To maintain their health, a diverse regimen of nutritional foods should be consumed by all active duty ninja."

Naruto looked up from his reading, and into the shocked eyes of his teammates. "What? I can be smart sometimes!"

"Yeah, when it's someone else doing the thinking." Sasuke snarked, referring to the textbook.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the expected comment and turned to the the girl.

"Here, Sakura-chan, it's got a lot of other neat facts and junk" Naruto offered, holding the book out to her. "Iruka-sensei made me study this stuff last week, since he's teaching me to cook too."

Sakura accepeted it numbly, wondering what happened to the world if Naruto of all people could teach her something. As she skimmed the pages she noticed that they held a wealth of information in regards to the basic nutritional requirements of academy students and young ninja.

She had been dieting to some degree or another ever since she and Ino had their falling out over Sasuke-kun, against the advice of her instructors and the concern of her parents. For a single searing moment, she wondered if maybe Ino-pig had planned something like this, but dismissed that idea as ridiculous. Even for Sasuke-kun, she couldn't imagine her former best friend being so cruel as to encourage her self sabotage. It would explain why the blonde girl was so much more... curved. Stupid Ino-pig.

"Are you okay Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked in a worried voice.

With some surprise, she realized her hands were shaking. Even Sasuke-kun was staring at her, his expression carefully neutral. She was worried, terrified that he thought she was stupid. Iruka-sensei had to have gone over this information before, but she must have dismissed it somehow. After spending years boasting to the other girls about how her most recent diet plan was sure to make her the prettiest kunoichi in Konoha, all of it was a waste.

"I... I thought I was going to become... I wanted to be the best... for Sasuke-kun," she sobbed out almost silently. "Sasuke-kun wants a pretty wife right? That's what he deserves..." She stared at the book with unseeing eyes as she hung her head in shame.

Naruto looked between Sakura-chan and Sasuke, silently urging the teme to say something, anything to cheer the pinkette up.

Sasuke met his eyes boldly, not even a flicker of concern for the girl's distress within them. Their stare off was broken when Charmander brought his tail-flame around to sear his partner's leg. When the Uchiha's glare shifted to the pokemon, Charmander nodded his head to the girl pointedly.

With a nearly invisible sigh, Sasuke spoke. "Fine. When I rebuild my clan, someone attractive would be nice. But I will not choose a weak woman to help me reclaim the Uchiha's former glory. Looks don't win missions, at least not the ones that matter."

To Naruto's pleasure and chagrin, Sakura-chan looked up through the curtain of her hair. Her eyes were watery with hope and unshed tears. "Does... does that mean you don't hate me Sasuke-kun? Do I still have a chance?"

Sasuke grunted in response, until a small sizzle prompted a proper answer and glare at his reptilian ally. "As long as you don't get us killed before I get my hands on That Man, and you aren't some useless weakling," He finished with a half-shrug and turned away from them firmly.

"Oh, thank you!" Sakura cried, leaping to her feet and holding the book to her chest. "You'll see, I'm going to be the best kunoichi you'll ever know! I'll even help you when you find the guy, Naruto will too, right?"

Behind her, Naruto nodded and set his smile more firmly, happy to be of aid to the girl who often hurt him in ways no one would ever see. No one but Ralts, he reminded himself as he felt her comforting touch on his leg.

Settling on the ground with a rarely seen sense of determination, Sakura flipped back to the start of the chapter and began to memorize everything in it. Almost unconsciously, she retrieved and tore into the ration bar, eyes never leaving the pages.

Before returning to his game, Naruto ripped the wrapper from Eevee's bar into a dish and broke it into bite sized pieces for her. Eevee thrilled her thanks and resumed her meal as Naruto lifted Ralts into his arms and returned to his tarp and game.

* * *

Kakashi leaned back as the potential team returned to their individual waiting. This was a surprise, not only had one of his team actually prepared for one of the most common risks while on long term missions, but he had showed proper team initiative and inspired it in the other two.

Sasuke would need some subtle guidance in that regard, but with luck Naruto would overcome Sakura's attitude on his own...

'_What the hell? Here I am thinking like their teacher already, and they haven't even passed the test yet! Sure, the brats managed to display some team spirit, but there wasn't any pressure. The only cost to any of them was the blond brat shelling out a few ryo worth of emergency food.'_

_'Well, whatever. We'll see how they do when things get real.'_

He judged the time again and settled into his own wait. No matter what that pushy council wants, those kids weren't getting him for a sensei without earning it.

* * *

Appearing in his customary swirl of leaves, Kakashi gave his excuse before even the first leaf had landed.

"Sorry I'm late, I thought I was being followed so I ran all over Konoha trying to lose the guy. Don't worry though, turns out it was only my shadow."

Kakashi was a little disappointed when his arrival only received immediate attention from one of his potential students. Sasuke Uchiha turned a baleful glare on the tall man, while Sakura waved absently without looking up from her page, and Naruto continued matching his cards until he missed one.

"What took ya so long?" Naruto asked distractedly as he wrote out his notes and packed the cards away.

Kakashi had an unpleasant urge to rant about hip attitudes, which he ruthlessly squashed, praying he wasn't coming down with something.

"Nevermind," the jounin sighed as he found his seat on the training post he used the day before.

The group reclaimed their seats from the previous day with enough accuracy that it was almost creepy. He considered trying to repeat that day's events too, but dismissed the idea. Probably wouldn't work with the girl in her current upbeat mood anyway.

"Okay then, who here knows who I am?" He asked seriously, the fingers of one hand tapping on his knee in an irregular beat.

The three children shared glances before Sakura spoke up hesitantly. As expected, she had learned what she could, despite the limited information he had shared.

"Um... You're Kakashi Hatake, you told us that yesterday, but you didn't tell us much else. So I did some asking around... You're known as 'Sharingan Kakashi', or 'The Copy-nin'. It's said that you've copied over one thousand jutsu from opponents alone, and that you have one of the best assassination ratios of all non-Anbu ninja. There are also unverified rumors that you used to be a high ranking member of Anbu..."

"Well done," Kakashi complimented, honestly impressed that the girl had learned so much in such a short time. "Is there anything else you might want your teammates to know before we begin today's exercise?" he asked, a disturbingly familiar smile in his eye.

She took a steadying breath before finishing her report with what was probably the most pertinent information she had discovered. "You've... been given teams every graduation for the past four years... and you sent them back for reassignment after the first day's training every time."

The two boys stilled at the statement, and the implied verification of Kakashi's smiling silence.

Sasuke was the first to recover composure. He stood calmly, his face falling into the mask of superiority he had held for so long. "Then we just have to prove we're better than those other losers were, right 'Sharingan Kakashi'?"

The determination in his voice might have moved a less jaded man, but to Kakashi they were simple words, worth no more than the final threats spoken by any of the multitude of his now deceased targets.

"Yeah! Teme's right!" Naruto leapt to his feet enthusiastically. "We're a thousand percent better than any team you ever seen! And we'll prove it too! Dattebayo!"

"Right!" Sakura agreed, hopping up to stand with her allies.

The three stood together in a show of previously unseen unity against the percieved obstacle of their ascension.

"I'm happy to see you three so eager to impress. But there's one thing you might want to consider before you get all lovey dovey..." Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out a single silver bell. "If you can take this from me, I'll teach you."

"So all we gotta do is get the bell and we pass your stupid test? That's gonna be easy! Right guys?" Naruto exclaimed as he watched the item swing from the jounin's fingers.

"Not 'we', you." Kakashi corrected, pointing at Naruto, "if you get the bell, I will teach you, and the other two go off to whatever sensei Sarutobi-sama can scrounge up for them. I'm not looking for a team, I'm not even looking for an apprentice, but the Hokage insists I keep giving you kids the chance to impress me, so I do. Now children, astonish me. Convince me that teaching you won't be a waste of my valuable time, and maybe I'll consider it. You have until this clock goes off at noon, and if you want to have any chance at all... You'd better be ready to kill me, if that's what it takes."

With that, Kakashi Hatake placed a timer from his pouch on the post and strode confidently into the field, leaving their recently discovered common ground crumbling beneath the three genin.

_'Now lets see how those brats deal with a little pressure...' _Kakashi thought to himself as he walked.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Sakura bemoaned forlornly. The near constant emotional transitions over the past day and a half were near to giving the poor girl fits.

"Just do what you're good at: Nothing," Sasuke growled as he spun and sprinted after the teacher. "You and the Dobe better stay out of my way. If this guy really is called 'Sharingan Kakashi', then the one he teaches will be me!"

"Man, what's that jerk's problem?" Naruto asked as he watched the Uchiha and his Charmander stalk off. He didn't really expect a response from Sakura, but she answered anyway.

"Duh, it's the Sharingan. It's only the most powerful Dojutsu in the elemental kingdoms. And since Sasuke-kun will have it someday too, he wants a sensei who can teach him how to use it."

"So 'cause he's gonna get funky eyes 'someday' means we gotta sit here and let him win? Just like that? No way! Naruto Uzumaki doesn't just give up for nobody, right Ralts-chan?"

Without waiting for the pokemon's answer and before Sakura could try to stop him, Naruto had taken off after Sasuke, Ralts securely in her carrier.

Sighing in exasperation, Sakura slowly walked after the two eager boys. Her thoughts and feelings were a mess. If Sasuke-kun won then his dreams might come true, but she wouldn't be able to see him often, if ever. But if Naruto won, they would stay together, though she couldn't imagine he'd be very happy about getting a weaker teacher.

And if she won? She didn't think either boy would ever speak to her again... It was painful to think, but maybe it would be best if she just let them decide it among themselves. Afterall, what were the odds of her being able to beat a jounin, let alone one with Kakashi-sensei's record.

* * *

Sasuke caught up to Kakashi in seconds. The jounin had stopped once he reached the center of the clearing, he had his hands stuck in his pockets and was staring up towards the sky.

As Sasuke stalked toward him, Kakashi turned his head slightly. It seemed that the jounin was looking over his shoulder at the dark haired boy, though the headband blocking the eye directed his way proved to the Uchiha just how lowly Kakashi regarded him.

"So, you're first, huh? I really expected one of the loud ones." Kakashi commented as blandly as if remarking on the weather.

"You have the sharingan?" Sasuke stated in a voice that brooked no denial. "Teach me! I need to unlock mine so I can avenge my clan! That man must die by my hands!" The boy's voice rose through his demand, his anger fraying the already thin leash on his temper.

"Yes." Kakashi replied, waiting just long enough for the boy's hopes to ignite before he continued. "I have the sharingan, and no, I won't help you unlock yours. It doesn't work like that. If I were to tell you the secret you would probably just die in the process."

"Then you do know it! Tell me! Help me! There has to be something you can do! Isn't it an Anbu's duty to assist in the elimination of missing-nin?" Sasuke retorted, grasping at anything that he could think of to sway the apathetic man.

"True..." the masked man drawled, "that is the central command for the Hunter branch of Anbu. Good thing I never joined them, I might actually be obligated to train you... If I really thought you stood a chance against 'Him'." For the first time, he faced the boy fully, his eye flat with condescention.

"There has to be something." Sasuke muttered as he felt his best chance in years slipping away. Brightening suddenly, he made a new demand. "If you think I can do it you'll train me right? Then I'll prove I can! I'll take that bell and make you teach me!"

"That's the spirit." the jounin replied without changing either his voice or expression.

With a grimace of anger at his opponent's casual dismissal, Sasuke flew through handsigns and drew a deep breath.

**"Fire Style: Great Fireball jutsu!" **Sasuke exhaled with as much force as he could, launching a large sphere of flames at his opponent. He smirked as he considered the jounin's demand that they come at him intending to kill.

Hesitating just long enough for Charmander to take his position in the combo attack they had practiced, Sasuke darted after, drawing a kunai and trying to guess which way Kakashi would dodge.

The fireball technique flew forward revealing that it's target hadn't moved away, only leaned back far enough that his spine was almost parallel to the ground, as he watched the attack pass by indifferently.

Charmander decided to take advantage of his apparent instability and rushed forward, the flame on his tail flaring up as he spun into a burning tail swipe. _(Ember)_

There was a burst of white light, and Charmander's attack was stopped by the scythe-like appendage of a feline pokemon. The creature was mostly white, with a black tail, face and horn-like blade sprouting from near it's right ear. The pokemon's bright red eyes stared into Charmander's blue ones as fire licked along both tail and horn-blade. _(Me First)_

Charmander grunted as he pushed vainly against the larger and much stronger pokemon. His intention of sweeping the legs from the lazy seeming human had left him in a horrible predicament. The Absol he now struggled against merely had to push down to keep him out of the fight, and only his fiery nature kept him from being scorched by it's attack.

Sasuke leapt over both his reptilian ally and it's newly appeared adversary in one bound, aiming to land heavily on Kakashi's stomach and slash down at him in one grand motion. Sadly, such an obvious plan wouldn't be enough to win a competition of this scale.

As he flew through the air, his trajectory beyond altering, Kakashi pulled one of his hands from it's pocket and planted it on the ground before yanking his entire body vertical. All three genin were impressed by this demonstration of strength and flexibility, though one found himself distracted from his awe by the foot now aimed at his own gut.

As quickly as he could, Sasuke slapped his free hand onto the sole of Kakashi's sandal, bracing himself against it in an attempt to mitigate the expected impact. His action was of limited value, but still what he would term a success. He had taken a bruising blow to his sternum, but diverted the strike initially aimed at his diaphram. As a result he was merely in a lot of pain, rather than writhing on the ground sucking air.

Sasuke did his best to hide his discomfort and tightened his grip on the jounin's leg, bringing both hands to bear, since he had dropped his kunai during the collision.

"You're... gonna have... to do better than that!" the boy swore as he tried to lever himself towards the bell hanging from Kakashi's belt.

"Hmm... You may be right." He replied, seeimingly unaffected by either the boy's attacks or the awkward position he held himself in. "Alright then, I think I will teach you something."

Sasuke's face lit up with a fierce emotion that might have been a distant relation to joy, before it was suddenly replaced by confusion by Kakashi's next words.

"Lesson one: Ninjutsu. **'Earth style: Underground Projection Fish jutsu.'"**

As if the ground beneath him had miraculously become water, Kakashi fell through the surface in one smooth motion. Sasuke, who was was currently attached to said jounin was carried along, at least until he slammed hard into the still solidly packed earth.

Some part of the Uchiha, as he lay stunned and aching, wondered if he'd have been better off taking that first kick afterall. Gathering the tattered remnants of his pride, Sasuke struggled to a standing position. He wobbled dangerously from the lingering daze, but damnit he was standing. He comforted himself in the knowledge that even this so-called elite jounin hadn't put him down for long.

**"Earth style: Double Suicide Decapitation jutsu!"**

Sasuke glowered up at the smiling ninja crouched before him. He found the man's expression ever more infuriating as time passed, and the sand trickling into his clothing certainly wasn't endearing him to the one who put him in this humiliating position.

"You should really be careful after a fall like that," Kakashi commented cheerfully. "Why don't you rest here for a while. I need to go see how your cute little friends do."

As he walked away, Kakashi glanced at Absol, who released the weary Charmander from their standoff and joined him. Charmander stared after the feline pokemon with eyes smoldering with desire. There was his goal personified, powerful enough to have crushed his lesser with a single attack, but posessed of enough dignity to refrain from unnecessary excess.

Baring his throat a moment in deference to the victor, Charmander moved to his partner and begun the tedius process of digging the boy free.

* * *

The elder duo stopped not far from the tree line, Kakashi shifting his cycloptic sight around a bit before finally settling on a particularly large and leafy branch not far above his head and a dozen or so feet away.

"So, did you enjoy the show?" He apparently asked of the limb.

"Eh, I thought the acting was a little stiff, though the improvisation was nice." The blond brat replied as he dropped the chameleon tarp he'd been hiding behind to the ground. "How'd ya spot me anyway? It usually took people a pretty long time to find me after a prank."

"Cloth and leaves move differently in the breeze," Kakashi replied with a helpful smile, gesturing vaguely to the softly waving branches around them. He noticed with some satisfaction that the little green-haired pokemon stood on the branch beside him, probably to keep her carrier from hindering the boy's movements.

"Gonna have to remember that," Naruto replied absently, as he watched a particularly unusual set of leaves swaying in the breeze

"Why didn't you help your teammate?" Kakashi asked in a solomn tone when he decided Naruto wasn't going to turn back around.

"Teme told us to keep outta his way." the boy replied in a monotone. "Said if anyone deserved you as a teacher it was him, 'cause he's gonna get that sharin-thingy you got." Ralts looked at him in surprise, then flipped her sight back and forth between the two humans before trying to rouse Naruto from his unexpected stupor.

"And you think you should be my student? Do you believe you have more potential than 'Teme'?" Kakashi inquired. While the pokemon's vain attempts to break the honesty enforcing interrogation genjutsu continued.

"I gotta get stronger... Gotta protect everyone... so they'll respect me."

That the boy wanted to protect the village, despite his poor childhood, spoke well for the his character. His reason for doing so might be considered selfish by some, but who could begrudge the boy's desire for what should be given freely? However, it took more than character to be a good ninja, and his willingness to allow his ally to fight alone certainly couldn't be allowed to go unpunished, could it?

"I see. Well, since you're in such a sharing mood today, it would be rude of me not to reciprocate, don't you think?" Ignoring the boy's unresponsiveness, Kakashi flipped through a few seals before intoning. "Lesson two: Genjutsu. '**Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing jutsu!"**

Absol was in motion before the boy's first scream sounded, strangely echoed by the small pokemon. The dual effect was enough to cut through even Kakashi's cynical hide.

In his efforts to escape whatever horrors the illusion displayed, Naruto flailed until he and Ralts had slipped from their perch. By the time Kakashi realized the risk he had inadvertently put the pokemon in, Absol had already darted in and secured it. Naruto hit the ground hard enough to break the illusory technique, and his freedom seemed to release Ralts from her own sympathetic pain as well.

Kakashi's eye met Absol's bloody gaze and saw disproval in his eyes. The jounin nodded slightly, the spare motion acknowledging his mistake and promising to atone for the act. Absol replied with a tilt of his own head, accepting the promise for now, before turning to tend to the trembling young pokemon now in his care.

On the ground, Naruto shot to his feet, looking around with an expression of pure panic on his face.

_"Of course, that thing senses emotions. When the kid got scared she felt it... but what could he be THAT afraid of?" _Kakashi realized his folly, and a definite weakness he would have to mention to whomever got the kids after he failed them.

Unfortunately, the genjutsu he had used was independant of the caster, drawing inspiration from the victim's subconscious fears. Unless a Yamanaka or other mind entry specialist had been in there, only Naruto would know the illusory nightmare it displayed.

Naruto's gaze stole down to his hands, which he flexed a few times as if he expected to find someone else controling them. One fear put to rest led immediately to another, this one more pressing in it's own way.

Naruto searched anxiously for Ralts, only to find the dimunitive pokemon holding tightly to the pristine white chest of Kakashi's pokemon. The gentle curve of Absol's body seemed to exude comfort and promise protection toward his tiny cousin.

Witnessing this, Naruto felt a stab of guilt. It was his job to protect Ralts. That's what family was for, and she was the closest to real family he had, right? What could have hurt her? Closing his eyes, he thought back to that strange dream he had, driving through the nightmare of him failing to properly contain the demon fox, until he found the faint echoes of a voice he recognized.

_"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing jutsu!" _

"You hurt Ralts-chan." He stated with disturbing stillness.

Sakura, halfheartedly hidden in the bushes surrounding the field as she had been since arriving during the Uchiha's fight, started at the quiet rage simmering below the calm statement. Beside her, Eevee tried to tug her away from the two, nervous eyes on the motionless blonde.

"Well, not intentionally. I may be a jerk, but I'm not evil." Kakashi replied seriously. He knew he had made a mistake, but it would be a cold day in Suna before he apologized to a genin, at least during the test. The brat might try to blackmail him into passing.

Naruto's hands curled into fists without his conscious command, as his eyes slowly opened. He saw the two pokemon again, and the last of his normally cheerful demeanor bled away.

"You hurt Ralts-chan." He repeated, Ralts' name coming out in a distinct growl. "I'll fucking kill you!" In a blind rage, Naruto charged the jounin.

Kakashi was so shocked by the sudden change of personality, as well as the oppressive killing intent he felt from the visibly feral boy, that it wasn't until Naruto was in his face that he noticed the physical changes that accompanied the transition.

He dodged a swipe from Naruto's newly grown claws and kicked the boy hard enough to send him flying into the wooded portion of the training area. He cursed himself for the unexpected series of mistakes that allowed this situation to occur.

He had forgotten that the interrogation jutsu had a side effect of amplifying emotional response, useful when trying to incite prisoners into making bold declarations of intent, but obviously a bad idea when used on a boy with the living incarnation of rage inside him. Coupled with his oversight on the nature of Ralts' species, Naruto was probably angrier than he had ever had cause to be in his life.

The boy in question latched onto a thick limb as he soared past, and twisted around it to arrest his unintended travel. Digging his claws into the bark, he perched horizontally on the branch and bared a fanged smile at the target of his rage, before pumping as much chakra as he could into his legs and leaping straight at him like a launched kunai.

Kakashi grabbed both of the boys wrists before either set of claws could complete their goal of ripping his throat out. He held them away from him, even though he was forced back by the inertia of Naruto's leap.

Kakashi was thinking as fast as he could, he had little doubt that he could defeat, or even kill the boy if needed, but the longer he tapped the demons power the more dangerous it would become for everyone involved, and that wasn't considering whatever the Haruno girl might think was going on. He could sense her nearby, and had little doubt she was witnessing everything.

He spun and launched Naruto away again, taking the moment of respite to scan the area. He spotted the pinkette looking on in unabashed awe. There was no finesse in Naruto's fighting right now, if he could ever claim any to begin with, but the sheer power behind his attacks would probably put to shame anyone in his graduating class.

Looking towards the spark that triggered this unpleasant situation, Kakashi felt a spike of worry. Absol was in a near panic, and Ralts was holding it's head and writhing from what looked like a painful migrane.

As Kakashi kicked Naruto's next reckless charge away, he had an epiphany. If Naruto's fear hurt the little pokemon, what effect was his rage having on it? Deciding the best way to test this theory was to kill two birds with one stone, he set a hasty plan into motion.

Naruto's next attack flowed around a sloppy block and the claws of one hand sunk nearly wrist deep in the jounin's gut. A fleeting expression of predatory elation blossomed on the boy's face, before almost instantly withering into the very image of terror.

He backed away, eyes wide with horror. When his hand exited the jounin's body with a wet sucking sound, he leapt back, slamming his back against a tree hard enough to bruise bone. As Kakashi crumpled to the ground, holding one hand uselessly over the gaping hole in his torso, Naruto began shaking his head in denial.

"No! No, no, no! This isn't happening!" The boy cried pressing against the tree brutally, too freaked out to think of going around it. He was so distracted by the fearful images, both before him and in his mind as a result of the genjutsu's effects, that he didn't notice the jounin's conversion to common stone until he felt wires wind around him, binding him to the tree as tightly as if he'd been clenched in Regigigas' fist.

"You're right, That didn't happen." Kakashi replied quietly, from inches in front of the boy's face. "I told you all to try to kill me, but let's not get carried away next time, hmm?"

Naruto met the man's eyes instantly, his streaking tears standing testament to his still unbalanced emotions as he stammering disjointedly about how happy he was that Kakashi survived and how he really wasn't a monster and they had to believe him.

Kakashi waited patiently for the boy to either stop, or at least comment on the fact he had both eyes visible for the first time that the boy knew, but gave up when the blubbering moved past annoying and into disturbing.

"Naruto, I want you to listen to me carefully," he began, interrupting Naruto firmly. "You need to keep your emotions in check. Ralts got hurt initially when the genjutsu made you afraid, and your anger at me was doing something to her too. I want you to stay here until you think you can control yourself. So, **Calm Down.**"

The sharingan's hypnotic command took effect almost immediately. Though Naruto hung from the wire bindings awkwardly, his breathing steadied rapidly.

Kakashi retrieved the droopy looking pokemon and deposited her on the ground by Naruto, where she dragged herself onto the boy's feet in pursuit of comforting contact. Stepping away from the unusual pair, Kakashi added a parting reminder.

"Emotions are valuable, They can make weak men strong and strong men unimaginably powerful. But without control, they're as dangerous as a primed exploding tag. I want you to think about what went wrong here, and what could have gone wrong if I weren't here to stop you." He ordered seriously. The boy paled notably and nodded, his eyes locked on the little creature tucked between his feet.

As Kakashi walked away, Absol growled at him. Kakashi nodded in response, knowing that such a small measure of aid wouldn't even his debt in the disaster pokemon's eyes. But it was a start, and he'd have plenty of time to offer subtle aid once the kids had their real instructor.

Casting his senses out, Kakashi located his last genin target. The pink haired girl was still in the woods, but was now moving away along a slow meandering path.

Setting off in pursuit, he fished his precious book from it's pouch. Those boys really played rough, it would have been a shame to risk it unnecessarily. Besides, if the girl recognized it for what it was, she might do something entertaining... or try anyway.

* * *

"What was that?" Sakura wondered aloud as she paced through the woods aimlessly. "It was pretty similar to Kiba's beast mimicry, but Naruto didn't make hand seals or anything. He's not an Inuzuka, so there's no way he could learn it from them anyway... Could it be some rare bloodline? Yeah, right. If that moron had a bloodline everyone in the village would know about it by now... Unless even he didn't know he had it?"

Sakura's distracted monologue made it exceedingly simple for Kakashi to not only find her, but also determine the extent of her reaction. She apparently hadn't sensed any of the killing intent that he did, which implied that the anger was completely focused on him, rather than the general nihilistic impulse he would have expected if Kyuubi were actually influencing Naruto's decisions.

Needless to say, that was a good news.

That the girl hadn't gone straight to the idea of 'he has the most terrible demon known to man trapped in his stomach' was hardly surprising. Though her attempt to work through it in terms she understood was somewhat amusing. A bloodline duplicating the Inuzuka techniques? Tsume would be raising hell to bring the bearer into the clan, preferably through a marrage bountifully blessed with children.

Deciding he had heard enough of her rambling, he moved to a position further along the faint animal path she was unconsciously following and settled in to read and wait.

Some minutes later, Sakura absently circled a thick quince shrub, it's early buds a riot of pinks and reds. She caught motion out of the corner of her eye and drew up short, shifting into a loose fighting stance, with her hand near her weapon pouch.

In front of her, laying against an oddly angled tree and paging slowly through his book, was her unattainable teacher. Sighing audibly, she abandoned any idea of having to defend herself and walked up to him.

"I guess it's my turn now, huh?" She asked miserably, at least she was far enough away that the boys wouldn't see her humiliating defeat.

"Hmm?" The jounin looked up in feigned surprise. "Oh, there you are, I was looking all over for you," he said, smiling in his infuriating way at her.

"You're a horrible liar." She replied.

"I'm hurt that you would think so little of me. Shouldn't you respect your potential sensei more?"

Sakura laughed mirthlessly. "You beat both Sasuke-kun and Naruto without breaking a sweat. Be honest, what chance do I really have by myself?" She sat down heavily at the base of the tree and began scratching Eevee behind her ears, before muttering almost to herself. "I don't think I could even beat Naruto if he fought me for real."

"So you aren't even going to try? I can't say your attitude is all that impressive so far. Ninja can't simply pick and choose their missions you know."

"But that's just it, this isn't a mission! This is just some sadistic game you're playing to get out of teaching!" Sakura yelled, as her frustration boiled over. "How is a Genin supposed to beat a jounin anyway? It's just not possible!"

"On the contrary, it is very possible. The genin just has to pick their time and strategy appropriately. If you can kill the target in their sleep, it doesn't matter how strong they are." he corrected.

"Feel like taking a nap Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked with a syrupy sweet voice.

"Hmm, no I don't believe I will."

"Then there's just no way we can beat you. Even just getting that stupid bell is nearly impossible."

"I guess that's it then." Kakashi looked to the sky, easily determining the position of the sun through the sporadic leaf cover. "Looks like you have fourty minutes or so, in case you change your mind. I'll be waiting by the clock." With that, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Picking the scattered foliage from her hair, Sakura grumbled to herself. He didn't even bother trying to cheer her up, not that it would have helped anyway. She was smart enough to know that no genin, not even the best rookie ever to graduate, stood a chance alone against a jounin. That was why they formed teams in the first place...

Teams... Why would they give Kakashi a full team to test if they knew he would only agree to train one? Wouldn't it be easier for everyone involved if he just tested one person and then decided if they were worth his effort?

So why were there three here? It was almost as if he wanted them to compete for some reason... Maybe to bring out their best in the fights? Again, there were easier ways to assure that...

Eevee started rumbling under her hand as her scratching fingers found a particularly pleasant spot. She smiled fondly at her pokemon, thinking of her erstwhile teammates and their own allies.

Sasuke and Charmander, she could easily imagine them pushing each other to greater and greater heights. Topping each other and driving them onward toward their goals.

Naruto and Ralts, helping each other learn and grow, a bond of familial adoration. No doubt Naruto's fierce protection of Ralts would be returned once she was strong enough to do so.

She thought on her own relationship with Eevee. Did she have some similar connection with the canine? She had no real dreams, unless one counted her admittedly unrefined desires for Sasuke-kun.

It seemed that the others were so driven by their goals, and their pokemon stood beside them in equal determination. Imagine, the things they could do together, with that support... Human and Pokemon, working together toward one goal... Makes one wonder what a real genin team might be capable of...

Her fingers stilled as that thought froze in her mind. Kakashi's sadistic game... what if that was the whole point? Make the genin fight alone and they're guaranteed to lose. But if they worked together? Surely three genin and three pokemon stood some small chance?

If she was right, and she could convince the boys to cooperate... They just might win! Rising to her feet she found her bearings and set off for the field, She would talk to Sasuke-kun first. He would be harder to convince, but once he agreed, Naruto would be easy.

* * *

When she spotted Sasuke, Charmander was still clawing at the firmly packed earth. Looking around quickly as she made her way over to him, she spotted Kakashi where he said he'd be. She thought he would be out of earshot, but resolved to talk quietly as she worked, just in case.

She fell to her knees near him, digging a kunai from her pouch and attacking the ground carefully as she spoke. Eevee joined her, tossing the loosened clumps of dirt away as she worked.

"I have an idea, we'll need to work together, but I think we can get the bell before the alarm goes off." she whispered, Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her words.

"I can get the bell myself," he growled. "Once my hands are free and I can kawarimi away, I'll take it from him by force!"

Sakura rocked back on her heels and just looked at him, her eyes devoid of the usual adoration she regarded him with. "No, you can't." she replied calmly as she set back to carving him free. "He beat you, just like he beat Naruto, just like he'd beat me if I fought him alone. He's been a ninja longer than we've probably been alive, and that's not something you can just ignore. The only chance we have is to deal with this as a team."

Sasuke watched her sullenly as he considered her words. He hated it, but she made sense. "What about the bell? If only one of us can have it, I need it. He's my best chance at learning to control my eyes..." He hated that he was practically begging, but trapped as he was he had little choice.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I waive my right to the bell," she said. "I can't talk for Naruto, but if it comes down to it, you can always fight him for it. It's not like Naruto would turn down a challenge like that. I'll even referee for you."

Sasuke looked taken aback by her generous offer. To give up such a prestigious teacher wasn't something he could imagine doing. Seeing his surprise she chose to clarify.

"You and Naruto are the ones who need a strong teacher now. You're rookie of the year, and Naruto's already showing improvement thanks to Iruka-sensei's tutoring. But me? I'm so far behind in everything but bookwork... it'll take time to catch up. For a while anyway, even a chunin sensei could help me get where I need to be, and help me think about what I really want for me and Eevee in the future."

Sakura's focus returned to her work, digging carefully along the line of his arms, promising herself time later to go all giddy about the look she caught in his eye. A look she had longed for without ever realizing it was missing. At that moment, she had seen respect in Sasuke-kun's eyes. Respect for her.

* * *

"Hey Dobe, Pinky's got a plan. You in?"

Naruto looked up into the smirking face of a dirt streaked Sasuke, a step or two behind him stood 'Pinky' and the pokemon. He couldn't help but notice the mischevious shine in Sakura-chan's eyes.

"Does it include kicking the crap out of Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, He appreciated Kakashi stopping him from doing anything he might regret, but leaving him tied to this tree was kind of a jerk move. Besides, he really needed to take a leak.

"If I said yes, would you help us?" Sakura asked endearingly.

"I'm a little tied up at the moment, but get me outta this thing and you got a deal. That guy won't know what hit him." he replied with a smile that revealed a few too many teeth to be friendly.

Sasuke's smirk widened in response as Sakura untied the wires binding him.

Once all three were free and on the same page, Sakura informed them of the loose plan she had formed. The boys helped her finalize the strategy, especially Naruto, who's pranking career gave him a unique perspective on the subject.

They finished their planning with nearly twenty minutes to implement it. As they set off, Sakura found herself feeling confident for the first time since Kakashi explained the rules for this little fiasco.

* * *

Kakashi looked up from his book when he sensed the group enter the clearing.

Sakura stood in the center, with Eevee at her feet. Naruto and Sasuke stood a step ahead on either side, Ralts back in her carrier on Naruto's back, and Charmander standing close to Sasuke.

Kakashi looked over the three, red lines crisscrossed Naruto's visible skin, evidence of his recent entrapment. Sasuke was dirt-smudged, though he looked as cocky as ever. Oddly, Sakura seemed exhausted, probably tired herself out freeing the other two, he decided.

"So, here to surrender? Or is this some last ditch effort to prove you're not completely worthless?" He asked cheerfully.

"You wish!" Naruto declared loudly. "We're gonna kick your ass and take that stupid bell!"

"We, hmm? Did you forget only one of you gets to keep it?" Kakashi reminded them pointedly.

"We already thought of that." Sasuke said coldly. "We'll figure out who deserves it more after we have it. For now, the only thing that matters is getting it from you."

"Well then, we'll continue with lesson three: Taijutsu. Try to make things interesting for me." Kakashi replied as he slipped his precious book back into it's pouch.

Sasuke opened the fight by launching another fireball. As it streaked towards it's target, Naruto and Charmander raced after it, with Sasuke not far behind.

Expecting that he could force Naruto to back off, due to his precious cargo, Kakashi slipped around the sphere of fire on the blond's side. Thrusting a slow (for a jounin) jab at Naruto's face, he was satisfied when the boy dodged frantically.

Kakashi continued the one sided demonstration, raining blows just slow enough to keep the boy off balance from his repeated attempts to dodge. Eventually the expected happened, Naruto missed a dodge and took a hard blow to the gut, he folded over Kakashi's arm, accidently launching Ralts at him as if from a catapault.

Not wanting the pokemon to get injured yet again for a stupid mistake, he grabbed the creature from the air as it flew at him. Unfortunately, this put the pokemon in position to catch an attack launched by Charmander, Ralts stiffened as a bolt of blue energy slammed into it. _(Helping Hand)_

Kakashi whipped his eye toward the orange creature. How could it have learned an electricity type move? And why didn't it seem concerned about hitting it's own ally?

The answer came to Kakashi like a bite in the ass, or more accurately, wrist. He looked back to where Ralts had her teeth buried in the only bare length of his arm. The attack hurt a lot more than he would have expected, even considering his failing to focus chakra defensively. A cloud of smoke surrounded the pale creature, and next thing Kakashi knew, four clawed limbs and a tail added themselves to his arm, weighing it down as fangs pressed deep enough into his wrist to scrape bone. _(Bite)_

He didn't need to look to realize what really exhausted the pink haired girl. She had apparently figured out how to place Henge techniques on the pokemon, draining her chakra dry, but giving them this chance to hinder him.

Of course, it wouldn't be a difficult matter to get the creature off, but to do so without risking damage to it and in the middle of a fight might be tricky. Besides, why not let the brats think they have a chance for a little while? By this time he only had to hold them off until the bell rung.

All this ran through his mind in the time it took for Sasuke to leap forward into a lunging low kick, while Naruto whipped his pack off and launched it at Kakashi's face.

The two boys went on a full offensive, throwing punches and kicks interspersed by random grabs for the bell when opportunities seemed to present themselves. Their inexperience at fighting as a team was displayed readily enough, though the two adapted with respectable speed.

When Sasuke struck low, Naruto would aim high, When Naruto took to the air, Sasuke would try to hinder Kakashi's movements. The two were doing an admirable job for genin, but the most successful of his attackers was Eevee, excluding the reptile latched onto his arm anyway. The canine pokemon's attacks were almost completely random, though that probably was a result of her frantic efforts to not be stepped on by the larger combatants.

Kakashi fended the two boys off with relative ease, spinning so that his laden arm was always nearest Sasuke, wagering that the boy would be unwilling to harm his ally. he used his free arm to fend off the more unpredictable blond's attacks.

Eventually, Naruto flashed his strange cross-shaped hand seal and a group of clones joined the fray beside him. Kakashi drew a kunai and decided to destroy them as non-invasively as possible. It wouldn't do to gut the kid by accident afterall.

The identical constructs slipped nearly seamlessly into and out of each other's fight space, and Sasuke soon adjusted to their involvement as well, despite the near constant haze of released chakra from the ones Kakashi destroyed, not that it did much good since the little brat was churning them out like one ryo coins from a mint..

Just as Kakashi was getting comfortable with the new flow of battle, he heard the familiar sound of flying steel. Deflecting the incoming projectiles, Kakashi groaned as the annoying fight became further complicated. Thankfully, he could easily use their own weapons against the clones without too much worry.

Kakashi starred in a psychotic dance that could only have been coreographed by a designer in the midst of a drug trip of truly epic proportions. He dodged, deflected, leapt and spun, all with a twenty pound lizard latched onto his arm and one good eye. A dozen copies of Naruto darted about, knives poised to take chunks out of him with the slightest chance, while Sasuke held back, darting in at the choicest opportunies, coming within a hair's breadth of injuring or even crippling the jounin at times. Eevee nipped at his ankles and legs, having learned that latching on like Charmander had done wouldn't work, a painful lesson for both sides of the attempt. And through it all, kunai, shuriken and senbon flew like mad insects.

Kakashi was actually impressed by the volume of soaring steel, even between all three he wouldn't have expected quite this much weaponry. The fallen weapons themselves posed something of an obstacle too, the senbon almost invariably buried themselves point first in the ground, leaving a field of spikes below their feet.

Things were going well for Kakashi, his pride intact, and the genin unable to connect, despite the two pokemon's lucky hits. He had taken to batting the weapons into the clones, knowing that the slightest scratch would be enough to dispel the fragile things, which also kept things from getting too overwhelming for even him.

Thus, his bewilderment was complete when he felt a number of sharp pains in his legs. Staggering slightly from the blow to his balance, he was unable to fully avoid a succession of attacks, as the fists and feet of a quartet of remaining clones pounded into him.

Siezing the chance, Sasuke darted in for the bell, as Eevee leapt to do the same. Kakashi ignored the pain from the clone assault and, forcing his body to support him, slammed his Charmander encased arm into the side of Sasuke's skull. The rotation of his body as he carried through on the blow pulled the bell away from both opportunistists, though the Uchiha's fingers brushed the bell, and Eevee bit onto some portion of his uniform and fell away with the sound of tearing cloth.

Spinning a kick wide enough to take out the group of Narutos, aside from the one who didn't dispell and instead fell on his face, Kakashi regained his feet, having to immediately avoid a shower of shuriken and senbon from different directions as he did. Deciding he had enough of the game, he then Shunshined his way to the training post he had earlier claimed as his seat.

Charmander, disoriented by both the transportation jutsu and the blows he was used to deal and block, fell from him in a heap. The jounin yanked the four bloody needles from his leg and stabbed them into the wood of the training log for later consideration. How they hit him was a mystery, their angle implied that they struck from below, but he knew for a fact none of the kids knew how to use chakra strings yet.

Kakashi then turned to face the downed students, intent on solving what he was determined to make the final puzzle of the day. Sakura stood over Sasuke with a fistful of shuriken at the ready, and an open but sagging pouch of them at her hip. The boy himself was pushing to his feet, shaking his obvious disorientation away. Naruto was stiffly crawling to his feet too, holding his stomach, Ralts was hopping towards him in her strange way of walking, with a quartet of metal needles floating above her pointing directly at Kakashi. _(Confusion)_

_'Of course,' _he thought, _'she's a psychic type, she'd have to learn one of those tricks at some point. Why not today? It's not like these kids haven't caused me enough trouble already.'_

Just as Sasuke had regained his feet and started towards Kakashi, the alarm went off. He stopped and paled more than his normally palid complexion would suggest possible. Sakura fell to her knees, looking like she was about to cry. Naruto... didn't move... odd.

Oh well, let someone else deal with it, Kakashi was free! At least unless the Uchiha managed to get the red eyes he so craved.

"Well, I have to admit you kids put on one hell of a show. Better than any team I've ever tested, really." Kakashi informed them in an almost sickeningly happy voice. "Unfortunately, I still have the bell. But the up side is that the three of you can continue developing your teamwork with another jounin, and I'm free for another year."

"So... that's it then? We lose? Just like that?" Sakura's voice wavered recklessly as she tried to hold back her tears. She had been so sure her idea would work, and they were so close! She saw Sasuke-kun touch the bell.

Sasuke glowered darkly, he couldn't help but sympathize with Pinky's mutterings. He had given his best, alone and with the team, and while even he was impressed at their cooperative potential, it just wasn't good enough. If he only had his eyes... he knew they'd have had enough of an edge then...

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto called from where he stood. "How 'bout one more try? Triple or nothing, huh? Give us a few more minutes, not like it'll hurt you, right? You know all our tricks, and you beat our best plan. If you win, we won't raise hell with the Hokage, but if we win, you gotta take all three off us. How's that sound?"

All three humans looked at the boy, the genin in curiosity and the Jounin in amusement.

"Now why should I do that? As you just admitted, I can beat anything you throw at me. Really, just accept your defeat and get on with life, nothing comes from living in the past." Kakashi replied, remembering his own inability to move on.

Naruto turned to face the group, slipping his hands behind his head as he did. He shot an imploring look to his teammates before smiling hugely at the jounin. "You sayin it's not worth at least a little more time? Not even for 'The Last Uchiha'? I mean, what would the council say? Or Suzuhara-san? Or anyone else who doesn't know about this stupid test?"

Kakashi's eye narrowed in thought. The council could indeed cause trouble, and in this case it wouldn't just be the civilian section. The ninja council were pretty insistant about him training the Uchiha properly. He doubted Suzuhara-san would be reason to worry, but if the blond brat spun the story the wrong way, he might just consider it cheating on Kakashi's part. Cheating, dishonesty and stealing (when not part of the job) were the three cardinal crimes in his book.

"You know, I am supposed to tell the guy who manages my finances about today's 'training' over dinner tonight. We're supposed to be going out to celebrate." Sasuke mused aloud as he meandered over to Naruto, Charmander trailing behind him, limping slightly from the day's efforts.

Sakura hopped to her feet, confused, but willing to play along with whatever Naruto might be plotting. "Mind if we come too Sasuke-kun? It would be a good idea to discuss today's events so we know where we can improve... Nothing romantic of course, Naruto will be there afterall." She hastily added when he looked at her sharply.

Sasuke flashed a small smile towards her, knowing that would be better than any apology to the apparently improving fangirl. "Sure, you and the Dobe should come along, I know this great restaurant called Hisui. We'll go there."

Kakashi cursed inwardly. That restaurant was very popular, particularly with the single women who often congregated there to admire the head chef Akito Tenkawa, a man who's elegibility as a batchelor was only exceeded by his culinary ability. If those rumor mongers heard the famous Uchiha heir complaining about him, not only would the whole village know about it in a matter of days, but the inevitable exaggerations would make it impossible to ever leave his apartment.

"Fine, one last chance." Kakashi conceeded begrudgingly. "You have thirty minutes, and not a second longer."

"That'll be plenty of time," Naruto promised. He picked up Ralts and handed her to Sakura, asking the girl to keep her safe for a little while longer, the pinkette agreed readily.

Naruto then strode forward, just enough that he was the closest of the team, and put his fingers in the now familiar sign. "Alright Kakashi-sensei, here's the way this plan's gonna play out. I'm gonna make as many clones as I can, and you're gonna try to find the real me. **Kage Bushin no jutsu!"**

"And why exactly should I bother? You're the one who needs to get the bell. I can just stand here for the next twenty-eight minutes and be perfectly content." replied the jounin dryly.

"Because Sakura's not the only 'Number One Superfan' around," called a Naruto from within the bunch.

Kakashi's breath caught and his hand shot down to the pouch at his side, where one seam had torn completely out, thanks to Eevee's bell attempt.

At that unspoken signal, the tightly clustered horde of orange clad ninja scattered. **"That's right Sensei, we got your book!" **They were now spread across the length and breadth of the training field, in trees, on rocks, a few had even landed knee deep in the stream. All for the obvious purpose of keeping him from eliminating them efficiently, not that he could use one of his wide area jutsu without obliterating his precious autographed copy of Icha Icha anyway.

Almost as a single entity, they reached into their jackets and pulled out the books. **"Give us the bell, or we rip this book to pieces!" ** they promised. **"You have to the count of three! One!"**

Kakashi ripped his headband off and cast around rapidly, looking for any hint of which might be the real Naruto, unfortunately none stood out. _'Shit, what do I do? I can't give them the bell, but Jiraiya-sama's not due back for months, and even then I might not be able to get him to sign a new one...'_

**"Two!"**

Kakashi tried to prepare himself for the inevitable. He wouldn't surrender the bell, he couldn't afford to let them pass, no matter what it cost him personally.

The final count was preceeded by the rustle of paper as the books were opened randomly, literary destruction imminent. **"ThreeeEAAGH!"**

The distraught jounin looked up at a scream of disgust so great it shook the trees and sent birds shrieking away from them. In a flash he realized his precious book was flying through the air somewhere amid a host of others, which were themselves popping out off existance as their original possessors detonated from mental overload.

He shot to his feet as the falling objects narrowed from nearly a hundred to a dozen, to just one. That one, his most beloved posession was caught inches from the ground in a diving maneuver that left the jounin's front dyed allmost completely green by grass.

Kakashi inspected it for damage, and decided that when the boy caught an eyeful of what he was about to destroy, he became so horrified by his near actions that he freaked out. Obviously the boy wasn't all bad if he could appreciate literary works of art like Jiraya-sama's.

And the boy's thrashing around screaming his head off and scrubbing at his eyes... well that could easily be explained by the shock of nearly a hundred clones dispelling. Really, he should be happy it wasn't his copy of the nearly legendary "Icha Icha: Teacher's pet". The poor boy's mind would have exploded from the overload of erotic magnificience, and then how would he ever be happy in any ordinary relationship?

"You... You Ero-sensei!" Naruto shrieked "Why would you read something like that in public? Hell, why would you read it at all?"

Well. Obviously the child is still too immature to appreciate proper literature.

"Jiraiya-sama's writing is both classy and sophisticated." He replied with an air of superiority. "It's not my fault if all of his other admirers are too afraid to properly appreciate it outside of their own homes."

"There was a clown!"

"Ah, that was Jezebel, the jovial jester. How can you claim to be a boy and not appreciate with those curves? Especially in those acrobatic scenes... everything almost spilling out of that tight leotard... Hmm, that is spandex done right, so very right."

Seeing the incredulous look on Naruto's face, Kakashi deftly flipped the book open to a page which, in his humble opinion most pleasantly displayed the woman's charms. The two page spread depicted her fully clothed, if her spangled skin tight outfit could be considered such, and hanging upside-down from a suspended rope during the aerial display that caught the male character's attention in the first place.

Unfortunately, the blond backed away shouting that he wasn't a pervert and Sakura shouldn't hurt him for stuff that's not his fault. The pinkette in question had collapsed in shock once she realized what was in that atrocious book he was reading in front of her. Sasuke on the other hand simply looked annoyed, but that was traditional for Uchiha when they were faced with problems that didn't include 'set it on fire' as an option.

"Why would the Hokage think letting you teach kids is a good idea!" Naruto yelled out, tearing Kakashi's attention from the book which he had once more become engrossed in. "What kind of twisted person tries to show porn to children?"

"I've asked him the same thing every year," Kakashi replied in a depressed voice.

His tone caught the children's attention, and Naruto felt obligated to ask, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, " he replied, absently reaching for the bell at his hip. When his reaching fingers found grass without meeting a hint of polished metal, he darted his wide eye first to his ip, and then along the still visible path of his dive for the book.

Sasuke was the first to realize the reason for his actions, and immedately started looking for the missing object as well, it wasn't until his sight skimmed the space surrounding the training posts that he found it, floating a dozen feet in the air.

He rushed in and leapt for the object, which swiftly darted out of reach. As he landed and slid into a ready stance to try again, he cursed. Kakashi was already there, his hand closing around the bell... and leaving the item behind as he dropped back to earth himself.

"Hey Dobe, is your pokemon doing this?"

Ralts shook her head, which Naruto relayed verbally.

The four humans and three pokemon arrayed themselves around the airborn object, genin on one side, jounin on the other.

Suddenly, the bell ceased it's calm hovering and darted hummingbird-quick at the group, which tried futily to capture the freakish object. Any time one thought they might have it at last, it simply changed directions and phased through them. In fact, the only one the bell wouldn't go near was the little psychic type.

Eventually, the inevitable occured, and two of the pursuing humans slammed into each other. In this case, Sakura was unable to change directions as fast as Sasuke, who was so focused on the chase that by the time he identified the danger, she had already knocked him to the ground.

Naruto and Sakura were helping him up when smokey laughter was heard echoing around the field, the three froze, wondering who had managed to get close enough for the now obvious prank. Kakashi instead palmed his face in disgust, he had gotten so used to the strange events today that he had completely overlooked the obvious.

"Haunter. Give me the bell." He commanded, holding out his hand to where Obito's old pokemon floated invisibly.

The large purple ghost appeared around the bell, holding his empty four clawed hands out innocently.

"Haunter, I'm serious. Give me the bell, now." The target of Kakashi's ire faded from view once more, taking the bell with it. less than a breath later, it hovered directly behind Naruto, his disembodied hands perched posessively on Sakura and Sasuke's shoulders.

"Haunter please, don't do this!" His frantic pleads went unheeded as Haunter's oversized mouth opened and an equally disproportionate tongue dropped the bell in Naruto's hand.

Kakashi stepped forward, intending to get the bell back. He couldn't let his plan fall apart now, not when Obito's last relative might become one of the casualties. He didn't get more than a single step before Absol was between them. The disaster pokemon pointedly sat on his haunches and pointed towards the clock with his horn.

True to his nature, it went off less than a blink later, revealing the disastrous end to more than half a decade's worth of effort.

All the work he'd put into avoiding being saddled with a team of children, genin who would be reliant on him for their survival, gone to waste.

_'Minato-sensei... How can I hope to protect a new team? Will I fail them like I did Obito and Rin? Will my mistakes be the end of both your son and Obito's last relative?" _Kakashi wondered morosely.

Turning like a man condemned, Kakashi gestured for the three to follow him as he walked to the memorial stone. He glanced subtly at Haunter, now ignoring the children as he floated around and through the trees playfully. If the pokemon hadn't interfered, he could have probably failed them, despite their passing the true test, thanks to Sakura convincing them to work together.

Assuming Sarutobi hadn't been watching the test...

Maybe if the Hokage caught him lying about their success he wouldn't be allowed to teach? Maybe some time as a guest in T&I would be worth it, if it protected the genin...

More likely, Sarutobi would still make him teach the brats and spend his free time with Ibiki instead... Damn.

Stopping before the crystaline fragment, he placed his hand upon the cool stone, tracing Obito's name silently. Lifting his hand until only his fingertips grazed it's surface, he moved lower until Rin's was beneath his questing fingers, Minato-sensei's name followed. He then repeated this ritual several more times, honoring each of his lost comrades.

The genin, perhaps sensing the mood, were silent behind him.

When his greeting to the ghosts of his past was complete, he turned to the team and held out his hand. "Congratulations, you pass, against my better judgement. Give me the bell."

Surprisingly, it was Sasuke, black eyes radiating challenge, who stepped forward and placed the bell in his palm. Ignoring Uchiha pride, Kakashi sent a questioning look Naruto's way.

"Like I'm gonna let some pervert get his filthy hands on Ralts-chan or Sakura-chan. Teme's gonna get that freaky shanringone eye anyway, so it works out. I'm sure Iruka-sensei will agree to teach Sakura-chan too, so everybody'll be happy, right?"

Unfortunately for the enthusiastic boy, the pinkette chose to show her appreciation by socking him in the arm, albeit not quite as hard as she could have. He was trying to be nice in his own fumbling moronic way afterall.

Ignoring their weak squabble, Kakashi moved on. "Do any of you know what this is?" he asked as he turned back towards the memorial. He let them think for a short time before explaining.

"Sasuke, they gave you the bell willingly. They chose to risk their own dreams to help you attain yours... and to protect the innocent young ladies from the 'evil pervert' I suppose." Despite himself, he couldn't help but grin wryly as he wondered what his old team would have said to that concept.

"As ninja, we are often expected to risk our dreams, our futures, and even our lives in pursuit of goals we may not agree with, or even understand. And sometimes, we do it for better reasons: fighting for our lives, our beliefs, our friends... This memorial stands testament to all those who've paid that ultimate sacrifice. Every name written here is a ninja who died in service to the village."

"My best friend and Haunter's partner, Obito Uchiha, died protecting me and our teammate. She was captured during a mission, Obito wanted to return to save her... I argued against it, 'The mission comes first' I said... I was a fool."

"As your new sensei, I want this to be the most important thing you ever learn from me..." He turned and looked into six sets of eyes solomnly before he spoke again. "Ninja who abandon their mission are trash, but ninja who abandon their allies are even worse.' Obito taught me that, he died saving my self absorbed ass, and gave me this eye as his final act. Had I not met him, I can honestly say I wouldn't be half the man I am today, and I don't mean because of his sharingan."

"Working together, you came close to beating me. Alone... well, none of you have room to brag there. Sasuke, Naruto, You two have dreams which you cannot achieve alone. Sakura, your current goals are laughable, but I hope you find an ambition worthy of the risks you will face almost daily."

"Sasuke, don't assume that just growing strong will be enough to help you defeat those you have set yourself against, or those foes you might come across on the way. This world has a habit of finding some way to punish pride and complaicency. Yondaime, my sensei, was arguably the strongest ninja to ever live. He found himself confronted with the strongest being short of Arceus itself. He was strong enough to defeat it, but not without crippling cost to Konoha, and had he been alone in the fight, there would only be four great villages in the elemental kingdoms."

"Naruto... You'll never become Hokage without the support of others, I'm sure Iruka-san and Sarutobi-sama have explained that to you enough by now. And if not, me repeating it won't change things."

Naruto chuckled while scratching the back of his head, he wasn't that bull-headed, was he?

"Stand together, and you will get a lot farther in life than you could ever expect to alone. Remember this lesson, and savor your victory for now. I intend to make you brats pay for it tomorrow. I expect you three back here bright and early in the morning. Team Seven, dismissed."

Suddlenly, only three humans and five pokemon remained in the clearing, a number that dropped dramatically as Absol took off after his partner and Haunder faded away with an eerie laugh.

"So... does that mean we all passed?" Naruto asked, in typically cluelessness as he picked Ralts up and prepared to leave.

"It does look that way," Sakura replied.

Sasuke just grunted as he walked away, they had certainly passed. If the Dobe didn't know that, then he saw no reason to humor him, despite how integral he had been to their success. "You coming or what?" He called back from the start of the path back to Konoha proper.

"Huh? Oh, sure, where we goin'?" Naruto asked cheerfully as he jogged over.

"I offered to buy you two dinner, didn't I?" He smirked as Naruto took off toward the village, as eager to get some real food in him as any of them. Sakura caught up and walked with him, quietly discussing with herself what she should get, considering the information she had read so long ago this morning.

Himself, Sasuke was satisfied, he hadn't intended to buy them anything when he'd mentioned dinner earlier, but paying for a meal or two was certain to be much less irritating than actually thanking them. Even admitting privately that he couldn't have succeeded without them scraped his pride uncomfortably.

But they passed, and the only bearer of a mature sharingan in Konoha was now his teacher. Step by agonizingly slow step, he was getting closer to avenging his clan and eliminating the traitor he once called brother.

* * *

Sarutobi sat at his desk, smoking a pipe and chatting somewhat sociably with his son and the woman he pretended not to know was his son's lover. Years of dealing with Kakashi's eccentricities had left the Hokage with the impression that it was easiest to simply adjust where possible and only press his flaws when absolutely necessary. As a result, he had ordered Kakashi to report in three hours before he expected the other two jounin-sensei.

"I don't know why we're even waiting, we all know Hatake is just going to fail these kids too." Asuma was saying, his irritability stemming more from his lack of nicotine than annoyance. One of the first clues Hiruzen noticed hinting at the new relationship was his son's tendency to abstain from smoking around her, a habit that the woman found distasteful even in the Hokage.

But of course, rank and age have their privileges.

"I wouldn't be so certain," the Sandaime replied casually. "I have high hopes for this team, Naruto-kun in particular has shown promise of late, and everyone knows of Sasuke Uchiha's prowess."

"With all due respect Hokage-sama," responded the elegantly beautiful Kurenai, "this is Kakashi we're talking about, his aversion to taking a team is as strong as it is ridiculous. He's one of the most highly skilled ninja alive! It's practically his duty to pass on his skill to the future generations."

"It appears he has a less generous definition of his duty to the future than you, dear Kurenai," Sarutobi replied with a knowing smile. "But then, he would argue just as strongly that it's his duty to prevent the repeat of his failures in those future generations."

"Come on, you aren't telling me you agree with him, are you?" Asuma asked disdainfully.

"Of course not, but I'm not willing to dismiss his concerns out of hand," Sarutobi replied in a melancholy tone. "Kakashi has led a long and tangled life, and his focus on perceived failures is not uncommon in ninja of his caliber. I admit, I have my own specters to deal with at times..."

Kurenai and Asuma shared a look, unsettled by how very old Sarutobi sounded at that moment.

"So glad to see someone doesn't think I'm completely insane," Kakashi snipped as he climbed in through the window and took a seat.

"If I did, I wouldn't have insisted on you taking genin teams. But now that we've all arrived, let us proceed with the reports. Kurenai, as the junior jounin present, you're first. Do you accept the genin assigned to you, and are you confident that you can train them without significant impediment?"

Kurenai cleared her throat and sat rod straight as Sarutobi began to speak, "Yes, Hokage-sama, on both counts. While I admit there might be a small matter in regards to Kiba's... distractability... you have my assurance that I will train them to the fullest extent of my, and their, abilities."

Sarutobi nodded sagely and turned to his son, "Asuma?"

"I gotta admit, it'll be a bit of a pain getting those three to work together outside of missions, but I'm sure I can get them where they need to be."

"Very good, Kakashi?"

"...They pass." Kakashi had spent some time thinking on the trio's performance, and decided to just be honest. If nothing else, he would have his honor, and he owed it to both his sensei and his fallen friend to do his best for their counterparts. And Sakura too, he supposed.

Sarutobi smiled, and gestured for Kakashi to continue.

"Initially, they each failed miserably, but they managed to figure the test out and work together in time, barely. After that, they were... interesting. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull it off, but I'll do my best to do right by Sensei's example."

Asuma cursed in surprise, which made Kurenai glare at him mildly, though she too was taken aback by the assessment.

"Then just answer me this Kakashi." Sarutobi asked seriously. "If you were to look at it objectively, discounting your personal feelings about the past, would you be confident in your ability to teach them properly?"

Kakashi sat in silent thought a long moment, giving the Hokage's question all the consideration it deserved. "I believe I have the skills necessary to teach them, but I'm not certain if I would trust me to do so, given my... eccentricities."

"Then you have less faith in your responsibility than I do," Sarutobi replied confidently. "I believe you will be good for these genin, and just as importantly, I believe they will be good for you."

Kakashi nodded his acceptance, though his expression remained subdued.

"I officially declare Team Seven, Team Eight, and Team Ten active, effective immediately. Good luck to you all." As Sarutobi gathered the stack of paperwork that would need to be finalized before his 'official' pronouncement was actually official, he sent a sympathetic smile Kakashi's way, it was returned halfheartedly.

Kakashi left the tower deep in thought, trying to figure out how to best stack the deck in his new team's favor... He wanted to be certain they could handle themselves, just in case.

* * *

Omake (That is story canon)

"Were you followed?"

"Yes, there are sixteen Akimichi following me," Teuchi called into the shadowed room sarcastically. Cut the cloak and dagger nonsense Hakkaku, the only ninja chefs in the world are in Lightning country, so who else would be looking to steal from you?"

"Yeah yeah, you always did have to ruin my fun. Do you know how long I've been waiting to use that line?" Hakkaku stepped into the light, revealing himself to be a blocky man of average height. "Your letter said you're looking for new recipes. Looking to branch out from the ramen business I take it?"

"You could say that... Fact is one of my favorite customers is a ninja, who just graduated the academy, the kid's practically family. The problem is the pokemon doctor said he should spread out his diet a bit, for her sake more than his..."

"And you figure if you can get some of the stuff we've perfected, you can brancch out fast without having to invest in all the equipment other restaurants get stuck with."

Teuchi nodded, he knew his old friend's group had to operate on minimal equipment, due to their mobility requirements. The reports he'd heard from his suppliers claimed not only had they managed, but they were so good at what they do that it had begun to have adverse effects on their customers.

"Well then, let's see what kind of deal we can make. Let's start with that phantom recipe of yours, shall we?"

Teuchi groaned and looked at the ceiling, "Look, I've told you time and again, I don't know what you're talking about. If I had some phantom recipe I'd be more than willing to share it, but you're chasing shadows where this 'Scum Recipe' is concerned."

Hakkaku slouched himself, if he was honest about this kid being practically family, then his refusal just now could only mean one of two things: Either the recipe itself was more valuable than his own kin, which Teuchi wasn't the kind of person to believe, or that it really didn't exist...

"Fine," the shorter man sighed, "What do you have worth offering? I was really hoping the rumors were true, but hope in one hand stir with the other, right?"

"Speaking of rumors, perhaps you can clarify one I've heard recently... Is it true that your... customers, are deveoping something of a weight issue?" Teuchi asked, leaning over the table so that they could speak more quietly.

The cooking-nin eyed him for a long moment before leaning forward himself. "I expect full confidentiality, but yes. It's part of why we were trying for your recipe so hard. It's becoming nearly epidemic, but there's not a whole lot we can do, we're altering the recipes as much as we can to solve the problem, but it's just too littlle too late."

Teuchi drummed his fingers on the table as he thought. "I do have one recipe that might help... but I warn you, it's not quite complete yet." Seeing that he had the man's attention, he pulled a set of photographs from his pocket. "I'm working on a diet ramen, but I've hit a bit of a snag. right now it's too strong. I had to stop testing it when Ayame got worried enough to call a doctor."

Hakkaku took the pictures and flipped through them, the pictures depicted Teuchi gradually wasting away to near dangerous levels. They were dated, and by all appearances the stuff had managed to cut a weeks worth of dieting into a day or lower. It seemed to defy reality or physics.

"Damn man, you'd make a fortune selling that in Konoha! Any village even, there's gotta be crazy dieters all over the place."

"Maybe so, but I can't in good conscience just sell it indiscriminately. If I do give you the recipe, I want your word that it will only be served to solve your country's little weight problem, and that when you perfect it, you share the final recipe with me, How's that sound?"

"Sounds like we got a deal old man, What kinda recipes were you looking to get for this beauty?"

Teuchi leaned back and grinned, now for the fun part of this meeting. Afterall, what self respecting chef didn't enjoy discussing recipes with their peers? The only real way to improve on perfection is variety, and as any good cook knew: Variety is the spice of life.

* * *

Author section:

As a note to any who read chapter three in the first couple days, I later edited in a section at the end explaining the decision making process for the rookie nine's pokemon. I'm not sure if it would have sent out an update email, but I figured I'd mention it for anyone who is interested.

Also as an addendum to the Moves section from chapter three's notes, some will not be used at all. Primarily this entails moves that either would be too hard to write in or who's effects would be useless given the nature of the world. Ralts might be able to "Growl" cutely, but an opposed Ninja or pokemon are unlikely to be incited towards mercy.

One reviewer said they were glad the story is still alive, and I know my updates are unlikely to be quite as frequent as they could be. As a response to this concern, I have added a progress report of sorts to my profile page. Any day I write, I will update that page to reflect the added length. It is also dated seperately from the page's occicial record, so you can be assured of it's accuracy.

Confusion vs Psychic: In the anime they are effectively the same ability, so I have decided to add a degree of differentiation. Confusion will be limited in that it can only be used to move inanimate or willing targets. Psychic as the more powerful, will maintain it's anime abilities, within reason. (No launching team Akatsuki a hundred miles in one shot)

Akito Tenkawa is a crossover from Nadesico, and Hisui is a delicious sushi restaurant near where I live.

Kakashi is the second of the two allies I had planned to break the one pokemon rule, though Haunter isn't truly his. Haunter will act a bit like he did in the early series, being more interested in it's own fun than anything else. Haunter mostly sticks around to keep Kakashi from doing anything too stupid and occasionally helping out where it feels it needed. As in this chapter, Haunter will rarely accept orders, and will avoid direct confrontation with something that might harm it.

Absol has the ability Pressure, and Haunter has Prankster. As part of the plan for keeping things balanced, Haunter will have almost no damaging abilities, though as his nonstandard ability might indicate, he will have some skill in using what he does have to good effect.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed,

-Mhyrloc


	5. Naruto's midwife crisis

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

* * *

"This is Black, target is in sight. Awaiting permission to engage."

"Pink checking in. I am in position and the trap is a go."

"Gold here. Let's just get this show on the road already!"

"Very well. Initiate operation 'herding cats'... Now." Their leader, 'Cyclops', ordered over his radio.

The command given, Sasuke immediately went on the offensive. He and Charmander darted out from cover and blasted twin lines of fire toward a certain frustrating feline. _(Incinerate)_

The walls of flame passed close enough to sing fur, and in a purely instinctual 'fight or flight' response, the bane of genin across Konoha took off at a dead sprint along the only corridor left clear, directly away from the two pyromaniacs.

"He said herd not hurt! What would you have done if you'd hit it?" Sakura complained angrily over the communicator.

"If I'd wanted to hit the stupid thing, I would have. It's running in the right direction, isn't it?" The Uchiha replied.

Tora dashed headlong through the brush, dodging the occasional fireball and weapon aimed more to keep it on course than to inflict harm.

As they neared the designated clearing, Sasuke called over the radio. "Get ready dobe, we're almost there."

"Hey! My codename's Gold!" Naruto protested.

"Okay Pyrite, just shut up and get ready."

"Did he just call me a pirate?" Naruto asked, though none of his team bothered to respond.

Moments later, the cat burst into an empty field and continued across, eyes and ears perked for any obstacles which might hinder it's flight to freedom. Hearing a shout from directly ahead, it changed directions and skidded to a halt as it found itself surrounded by a horde of blond boys.

Seeing that the identical humans had cut it off from any easy path of retreat, it decided it had no choice but to fight it's way free.

Tamping it's feet in preparation, it chose a target and leapt at him. The cat glared as the boy caught it and grunted with the effort, the insult of that wordless comment was instantly repayed as glowing lengthened claws slashed across his face.

The purugly known as Tora yowled with glee as it exercised it's frustrations on the horde of humans. It had been practically ages since it had the opportunity to battle so freely against an opponent, not since her partner married that dullard of a daimyo.

It wasn't long before Tora realized the boys she injured simply ceased to exist, but by that point her pleasure in the hunt outweighed her desire to flee. She swiped, slashed and pounced her way through them until at last she was down to just herself and one of them. Her final foe stood quivering with fear in the center of a bed of wildflowers.

Ignoring the serene setting, she pounced him, destroying the terrified target in a flurry of claws and teeth.

Landing with catlike grace and a thump which would be ignored by anyone not eager to be sliced into noodle-like shreds, she settled down to groom herself, confident that even the fire users had been scared off by her display of combat prowess.

Purugly's attention was shortly drawn away from her cleaning by strange movement at the edge of the flowerbed. Six of the large flowers surrounding it had ceased to sway in the soft breeze and instead pointed rod straight towards the sky.

As the cat moved to investigate the strange occurrence, the curious plants shot into the air, dragging the ground between them along with it. As she howled and thrashed, the illusion of flowers broke, revealing her to be tangled in a net attached to six kunai, which had embedded themselves into a thick branch overhead.

As Tora struggled uselessly, four humans and four pokemon strode into view. Two of the humans she recognized as the fire breather and her duplicative scratching post. She hissed at the former, and took a swipe at the latter when he leaned in to make a face. Sadly he dodged too fast for her to give him another trio of facial scars.

The third male leaned in himself, carefully staying out of range of her claws. She glared at him, intent on displaying the the full force of her enmity. He seemed to smile at her as he lifted up the headband covering his face. She got a glimpse of a spinning red eye, and then knew nothing.

* * *

Naruto groaned under the weight of the sedated feline as team Kakashi trudged back to the Hokage tower. He fervently wished Kakashi would just let him and Ralts teleport there, but the jounin insisted that they stay together until the mission was officially completed.

Ralts had advanced enough in the weeks since their test that she could transport two others alongside herself and Naruto, but being unable to release and resummon Tora the way they could Charmander and Eevee, the fat cat made one too many. Kakashi could have carried it and shunshined there nearly as quickly, but he claimed that rendering the pokemon complacent was more than enough aid from him.

Unfortunately for Naruto, when they were determining the order in which the genin would carry the burden, he generously offered to take Sakura's turn. The girl happily accepted, and then offered to help the Teme on his turn. As a result, Naruto felt honor-bound to lug the stupid thing all the way back on his own.

_'Maybe this is what they mean when they say nice guys finish last?' _He wondered as he followed his team through the village.

When they finally made it into the tower, they were ushered into the office immediately. Tora had enough of a reputation that no one wanted to risk being around it for longer than absolutely necessary.

Within his office, the Hokage and their illustrious client sat chatting over tea. The large woman rose to her feet at their entrance and swiftly reclaimed her wayward pet. Naruto openly gaped at the effortless way the woman handled the hundred pound beast.

"What did you do to my poor Fuzzykins?" The woman demanded to know, as she witnessed it's unresponsiveness.

"Don't worry," Kakashi replied as he reached over and scratched the cat behind her ears, subtly breaking his genjutsu in the process. "She's just tuckered out from her adventure. Isn't that right 'Fuzzykins'?" The cat's distant growl went far towards alleviating her concerns.

Thus satisfied, the woman agreed that the mission was completed successfully, and consented to the ninja's payment.

With that business settled, Team Kakashi paid their respects to the two world leaders and took their leave. Sarutobi was somewhat unnerved by Naruto's apparently professional attitude, though he still caught the boy glaring at the waking Tora in a staring match he could only lose.

* * *

As the group left the tower, Sakura couldn't help but ask: "How is it the Daimyo's wife has a pokemon? I thought Arceus only let ninja pair with them?"

"Well, She wasn't always the Daimyo's wife," replied the jounin, "She used to be a ninja, a decade or so back. During one of the Daiymo's official visits to the nations allied to us, she was assigned to protect him. The two kind of hit it off, and one thing led to another..."

"You're kidding?" The girl responded incredulously. "I thought that sort of thing only happened in sappy story books!"

"They say life imitates art." Kakashi replied absently, thinking of a few pieces of Jiraiya-sama's 'art' he wouldn't mind his own life imitating.

"How'd a former ninja just let herself go like that then?" Naruto asked. "I mean, she's just so... large..." He finished in a weak attempt to keep his comment somewhat polite.

"Eh, she looked like that when she was a ninja too." Kakashi replied sourly, his imaginings invaded by the subject of their conversation in a manner neither wholesome nor pleasant.

"What! You're saying the Daimyo, most powerful man in the Land of Fire, picked a woman who looked like that!" Sakura exclaimed, scandalized by the idea.

Kakashi shrugged as he rubbed his aching eardrum with a finger. "Different people have different ideas of beauty. What you see as fat, someone else might see as there being 'more of her to love'... Or just 'more cushion for the pushin'..."

"So, how good a ninja was she?" Naruto asked. Predictably the innuendo went in one ear and out the other without connecting with a single braincell. Honestly, what kind of teacher can Iruka be if he's neglecting such an important subject as sex education?

"She was guarding the Daimyo," Kakashi replied dryly. "How good do you think she'd have to be for that? From what I remember, she's a ninjutsu specialized former Akimichi. If I were to make an educated guess, I'd say her overall skill is about special jounin level. However, considering just her Ninjutsu specialty, she can probably outlast me by at least fifty percent using A rank jutsu, thanks to her clan techniques. Though I expect I still hold an edge in regards to variety."

The genin seemed surprised that such a relatively innocuous woman might be that powerful. That Kakashi was willing to compare her to himself favorably seemed quite the endorsement.

The jounin smiled behind his mask as he walked past the staring children. He figured this was the perfect object lesson in his own motto: "Look underneath the underneath."

Many were the spies and assassins who found themselves caught off guard when they learned that the supposedly helpless woman who shared the Daimyo's bed was among the most deadly ninja in the Land of Fire. That the secret remained hidden was evidence of the fates of those who learned that fact the hard way.

* * *

Kakashi watched on as his students sparred. Since they had done so well capturing Tora, he had decided to give them some hands on guidance. As he watched the three battle against one another he couldn't help but be proud of their progress.

While it was true that he was probably the one most adamantly against him taking a team, he had to admit that they weren't anything like his team seven... at least not anymore.

Naruto's new education had led to a number of improvements in the team dynamic, changes drastic enough that Kakashi couldn't help but wonder what things would have been like if Obito had done the same.

The boy still tried his hardest to charm his pink haired teammate, but her refusals had become a bit more civil. At least she gave him a warning before she punched him these days. Naruto had tried taking it easy on her in their spars too at first, not wanting to hurt her. Kakashi himself put an end to that nonsense, explaining to him that in the long run it was far better that she get a little hurt among friends than get killed or worse by enemies. Naruto had agreed, reluctantly, and both had grown for the effort.

Sasuke had changed the least, though he didn't disregard either of his teammates out of hand the way he had at first. He had taken to training his strength and stamina in the mornings before Kakashi's arrival, alternating chakra exercises with physical so that he cycled through strength and endurance training for each over a course of four days. He spent the fifth day of each cycle studying scrolls on more advanced techniques, such as elemental manipulation and jutsu from the Uchiha's private library.

Kakashi knew from his occasional spying visits on the boy that his private time was employed in the pursuit of strength as well. Though often in a way he probably wasn't eager to share. He had taken the idea of Naruto's jutsu creation training and ran with it. Kakashi had found him one day pouring over scrolls on the subject, with lists of ways to alter his few known jutsu in new ways.

Kakashi had gone against his habit and shown himself, if only to warn the boy not to practice his theoretical creations without supervision. He had explained the potential dangers of an inexact technique, including the example of a genin from his own year who had attempted to use a half-perfected jutsu in a battle during the war. The manner of the genin's death seemed to leave Sasuke sufficiently cautious, but Kakashi was still pleasantly surprised when a few days later he was approached privately about some of the ideas the boy had had.

Sakura, by contrast, had changed immensely from the useless fangirl of a month prior. She was the only one to actively seek his assistance, and he gave it a manner he felt both brilliant and inspiring.

* * *

Flashback: Sakura's perspective.

Sakura stood before the door to an apartment feeling nervous butterflies. When she had asked Kakashi-sensei for advise on her training she had expected to get a list of exercises or the name of a training guide she could buy. She certainly didn't expect him to scribble down an address and order her to meet him later that night.

She had spent the intervening hours wondering what training he might suggest and wondering why a self acknowledged pervert would invite her to his apartment. She had tried with some success to shove her nervousness from her mind, determined to prove her desire to improve, and secure in the belief that Konoha wouldn't have ninja who would do... that... kind of thing to anyone, let alone their own student.

Sakura swallowed her unease and knocked firmly on the door, confident that she was exactly on time. To her surprise she heard a woman's voice call for her to enter, what kind of woman would possibly live with a pervert like Kakashi-sensei?

Entering, she looked around at a very feminine apartment. From the entryway she could see a living room bearing floral wallpaper, the furniture was tastefully chosen, mostly dark stained wood or pale pastel colors. Moving from the hall-like entryway, she could see a fair sized kitchen that was hidden by the wall to her right. It fairly sparkled with cleanliness, certainly not what she would have expected from Kakashi-sensei.

"Sorry if I'm running a little behind, I could have sworn you said eight tonight."

Sakura wondered what the woman was talking about, her teacher's note specifically said seven thirty. Before she could ask, one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen walked out of the hallway leading to what she assumed was the bedroom.

The woman stopped short upon seeing Sakura and stared at her, and while some part of her mind took note of the woman's weight shifting so that she could spring easily into either attack or defense if needed, most was occupied by the older woman's beauty.

She was taller than Sakura by a head at least, with long curling ringlets which ended just past her shoulders. The woman also had full lips painted a red that was only outdone by her piercing eyes. Her feminine figure was on display in a form fitting black dress that left her right shoulder fully exposed, it hugged her closely down to her waist where a slit on the left side began, allowing her a more complete range of movement.

Sakura's thoughts were hardly organized in any proper manner, but if a certain sannin could take a glimpse he might feel he'd finally found someone who could understand his desire to live in other people's bodies. For her part, Sakura only understood a burning desire to look at least a little like this woman when she grew up. Even Sasuke-kun wouldn't be able to resist her then...

Feeling decidedly uncomfortable under the blushing girl's stare, Kurenai finally broke the silence. "Who are you and why are you in my home?" She asked tersely.

The girl shook herself mentally, berating herself for losing focus so easily. "I'm sorry for staring, it's just... um... Is Kakashi-sensei in?"

Whatever she expected, that question certainly wasn't it. Though, now that she thought about it, hadn't there been a pink haired girl in the graduating class? Why would that lazy jounin send one of his students here today of all days?

"No, why would you expect Kakashi to be here?" She responded cautiously, not wanting to get caught up in any of the troublesome man's schemes.

"This is where he said to meet him here," Sakura replied, holding out the scrap of paper with the address on it.

Kurenai took the item, identifying the sloppy handwriting easily. She crumpled the paper and chucked it into the kitchen's waste bin before combing her fingers through her hair. Seeing the distress on the girl's face, she decided to at least see what Kakashi was trying to get from her before tossing the girl out.

"Okay, what were you supposed to meet him about? I can't promise I'll help, but I might be able to do something..."

The two were still talking when Asuma arrived a couple minutes early. Kurenai explained that she couldn't help the girl on any regular basis, since she had her own team to train, but pulled a book from a shelf and held it towards the girl. It wasn't very large, but the leather binding and ornate strap sealing it shut spoke of some value at least.

"I had a problem similar to yours," she explained. "Although, I went into it fully aware of the consequences. This is my training journal from when I was a genin. If you promise to take care of it and return it when you're done I'll let you borrow it for a while. It won't be perfect, but it's the best I can offer."

Sakura took the book reverently, undoing the strap and flipping through the pages. There were graphs and charts at the end of each week, and each day was diagrammed concisely, listing exercises both physical and chakra centric, as well as meals, vitamins and even snacks consumed. With this as a guide, she was certain she could catch up to the boys in no time.

"Thank you very much, I will guard it with my life." Sakura swore solemnly. Kurenai's kind smile more than countered the irreverent snicker she heard from Asuma.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you have a problem like mine? You said you knew what would happen, so..." She left the question hanging, not sure how to complete it any not be rude to her new mentor.

"Well, it was something my family encouraged. The Yuuhi were genjutsu specialists, and as you may know, becoming a real master in genjutsu requires very precise control." Noting the girl's understanding she continued. "During initial development, chakra control is inversely proportionate to chakra growth. The faster your coils expand, the more effort it takes to contain it. By holding myself to a severe diet I was able to artificially slow my chakra growth until my control was fine tuned to where I wanted it. Then, I worked on expanding my strength and chakra potential while simply maintaining my control. It wasn't easy, but it did work. I can proudly say that only Tsunade Senju, and maybe her apprentice, have better control than I do. And I have it on good authority that Tsunade used a similar method of training."

Sakura seemed thoughtful. Taking what she had learned now, she wasn't so certain the years of dieting were actually wasting her potential. Surely it said something that the best medic in the world as well as the 'Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha' knowingly did something similar.

"Thank you for the assistance, Kurenai-sensei." Sakura eventually said, standing and bowing formally. "You've given me a lot to think about, but I should let you get on with your date."

Blushing, Kurenai simply nodded in response and the girl left the apartment with a significant bounce in her step.

"Is it really that obvious?" Asuma asked, looking down at his own not unimpressive outfit. Kurenai merely sighed at male ignorance as she returned to her bathroom to make sure her makeup hadn't smudged or anything. They were still a bit ahead of schedule, and Asuma could take the moment for one last cigarette on the balcony.

* * *

Kakashi had met the pair before they reached the restaurant, He apologized for unexpectedly dropping Sakura on her. He explained that doing so, particularly at a time where she was preparing to look her best, would inspire the girl more than any amount of lecturing from him would. A fact which Kurenai, remembering the look on Sakura's face, had to admit was true.

Unfortunately, he then shattered any grudging respect his act of benevolent manipulation might have inspired by adding a personal request for when Sakura eventually returned the book. He had asked Kurenai to share some of her own genjutsu techniques with the girl.

Initially, Kurenai was understandably against it. Why should she help him train his team, when she had one of her own to teach. He had countered that none of her genin were particularly suited to genjutsu being hindered either by their clan's abilities or mentalities. Knowing by her sour expression that his assumptive remark was accurate, he pressed his advantage by admitting that while he knew a fair share of genjutsu himself, his were all automatic and thus unsuited for a ninja who might someday become a specialist in the field.

Kurenai had no choice but to accept that as true, the vast majority of genjutsu were designed to be 'hit and forget' techniques. Either limiting their effects to simple concepts or pulling from their target the details required to make them convincing.

True genjutsu masters weren't respected because they knew those half-hearted abilities. They could tailor craft a jutsu and guide it to effect anything from subtle to intense. In times of war, a ninja of Kurenai's caliber would be considered a high value target due to her potential for disruption. During the third war her family was notorious for turning enemy armies inside out by applying jutsu to key members of command, subtly blinding them to important facts. At best, the afflicted were berated for incompetence, at worst they were charged with treason and executed by their own allies.

Kurenai eventually agreed, but only to sharing a number of jutsu she used while learning her specialty, reserving any of her more powerful or unique ones for her future students or even children.

Kakashi agreed to that easily, he really only wanted to open the girl's eyes to every option available. As he left the two to continue on their way, he smiled. He'd had a feeling Kurenai would do as he expected, the woman was simply too kind to refuse. A good thing too, otherwise the bill he'd be getting from the fancy restaurant they were headed to would be a waste of money.

He just wished he could see their faces when the steward told them their meal was gratis. Lazy pervert though he might be, Kakashi Hatake did try to repay favors in a timely fashion.

The following morning, while he had Sasuke and Naruto spar, he pulled the girl aside and told her of her new long term training schedule.

She was to alternate her days between exercise, combat training, and study. On the days she studied she was expected to learn about genjutsu and biology. He even supplied a sealing scroll of books on those subjects.

Sakura was disappointed to be restricting her actual training so much, but Kakashi promised her that she'd be better for it. A promise he kept by teaching her a medical jutsu that would accelerate the rate at which her muscles repaired themselves. With it she could simulate nearly a full day's rest in minutes, but he warned that she would have to keep her body fueled with protein and other nutrients to offset what the jutsu would consume in the process.

Sakura wanted to share the technique with Sasuke... and maybe Naruto, but Kakashi forbade it. He claimed the jutsu wouldn't work reliably on others, because it tapped the users biology to determine how the muscles should heal. He claimed that neither of the boys had the control to use the jutsu either, so teaching them could cause severe harm if they tried anyway.

Further complicating her training, she was advised to maintain the leaf floating technique while exercising, advancing the number and location of leaves until it became a strain on her control. In this way she would be able to minimize the loss from her chakra coil's expansion.

Additionally, while studying, she was expected to use jutsu regularly, especially the Kawarimi. When she asked why, he simply told her that that was the most valuable jutsu in her current skill range, and that it was the one jutsu that ninja of every rank used regularly.

Sakura had grown by leaps and bounds since then. Initially she was only able to heal her muscles once each day, due to chakra limitations, and by the end of the day she was losing leaves due to sheer exhaustion. She had recently reached the point where she could do it twice, thus squeezing three days worth of exercise into one, though by the end of it she was hungry enough to eat a steak raw.

Kakashi had ordered her not to exceed this level of training until he gave her permission to do otherwise. She seemed like she wanted to object, but saw reason rather quickly when he mentioned that she didn't want to become some ape-woman by over doing it.

When she thought about it later that day, she reluctantly realized it was good advise. She was already squeezing in four more days of training into each week, best not to be greedy. Besides, her parents were getting concerned at how much she ate those two days each week...

* * *

Kakashi had been at something of a loss when deciding how to train Naruto, and so had settled on helping the boy improve his rough fighting style. But rather than helping him perfect the academy style he was expected to use, the jounin looked through his memory of copied techniques and picked a fighting style that seemed to be close to the type of moves he saw Naruto use in his spars. A youthful challenge from his self proclaimed rival, a victory in said challenge, and he had full access to the "Sublime Green Beast's" knowledge of the style.

He prudently passed on allowing Naruto to train with the premier taijutsu expert, and instead accepted the information via scrolls and a copy of the basics via sharingan. He also had pinky promised not to abuse the style he so unyouthfully appropriated. He felt silly doing something so juvenile, but it was better than hearing a lecture on the merits of hard work versus genius.

Naruto hadn't taken easily to the new style, being used to picking whatever movements felt 'good' or 'cool' on the fly, but he was getting them down, and the difference showed.

Kakashi also set Naruto to studying anatomy, which he expected to result in dual benefits. The fighting style he'd picked for Naruto was a high mobility one with some focus on precise hits. Coupled with his clones, Naruto might be able to turn one lucky hit into a victory with enough knowledge. There were a significant number of spots on the human body that could disable or even kill with a reasonably solid blow, and once he heard that, Naruto decided he would eventually learn them all.

The second benefit was that Ralts would gain just as much from the information. If she had known where to aim, she could have disabled, crippled, or even killed him with ease. It was sheer luck that her attacks during the test hadn't ripped open his femoral artery by simple chance.

While the genin practiced their skills, Kakashi had the pokemon doing their own training.

Ralts was put to practicing with her confusion, increasing her precision and power. Currently she could manipulate six kunai or twelve senbon at once with ease. Shuriken however, gave her a considerable amount of trouble. She could lift nine without strain, but she couldn't spin and move them at the same time.

When she tried attacking with the shuriken, they flew perfectly straight, just as the kunai and senbon did. But the slashing weapons lost a lot of their value if they were moving like tiny oddly shaped spears. With some effort, the pokemon learned to spin and move them, but it required so much concentration that she could only use four at a time, and manipulating them for more than a couple minutes left her staggeringly dizzy.

As a result, Kakashi added a passive practice to them just as he did Sakura. Whenever the two were studying, Ralts was to maintain a single wooden shuriken spinning and circling around them. In that way, he hoped to get her used to the pattern of motion required for the weapon.

One day he stopped by Naruto's apartment to drop off a late mission payment, his appearance surprised the two who were reading a novel of some sort. He found himself catching the blunt object before it hit him in the face.

He dropped off the money and returned the object to it's orbit around the two, confident that the fact it was still spinning when he caught it meant they were making progress.

Kakashi could add little to Charmander's training, the pokemon worked itself to the ground happily enough. He had noticed the little pokemon often trained in tandem with his partner, working to increase the size, strength and endurance of it's flames when Sasuke trained his Chakra, and exercising physically when Sasuke did.

It had only been a month and the training logs were already nearly chewed through from the pokemon biting into it. Kakashi found himself grateful that Charmander wasn't that good during the test.

Eevee's training had hit something of a snag too, quite simply there wasn't much he could do to aid the little canine. Deciding to take the events of the bell test as a guide, he set the little canine to speed and evasion training.

Teaming Eevee's training with Ralts' was an obvious decision. It gave Ralts a realistic target, and Eevee a significant reason to work at improvement. It had taken a ridiculous amount of cajoling to get Ralts to agree with the practice, but evidence of the near harmlessness of the practice weaponry, first-year academy standard, and Eevee's own insistence, convinced her.

An unexpected side effect of the training was that Eevee learned her second move, a discovery made while dodging during a 'spar' between the two. Sakura and Naruto both enthusiastically cheered on their pokemon, and Ralts' attacks were getting close to scoring the winning hit when Eevee took to running in a circle around the Psychic type.

Each stride she took launched a clump of dirt into the air, and so great was her speed that she was striking them before they hit ground. Unable to keep up with Eevee, Ralts had recalled her weapons, circling herself with them like a coiled Sandslash.

In a matter of seconds the formerly moist soil was a cloud of fine grains, a sweep of her tail and the cloud swept over Ralts, obstructing her sight and leaving her coughing from the dust she inhaled. _(Sand Attack)_

The fight was essentially ended by a squeaking impact and the sound of steel needles falling against each other. The genin waited for the dust to clear before remarking though. When it did, Eevee was seen standing over Ralts with a paw on her chest and a proud expression.

Eevee ran to Sakura who scooped her up and cheered ecstatically, while Naruto retrieved Ralts and dusted her off. The defeated pokemon and partner both congratulated their opponents and the day proceeded with Sakura practically glowing with pride.

Ralts learned from her loss, and never again forgot to shield herself from above when forced on the defensive.

* * *

The students were on their last 'mission' of the day. The assignment office tried to issue them evenly, and in a varied pattern, so as to avoid burnout among the numerous genin. Some missions, such as catching Tora, were considered full day affairs, and so teams assigned them weren't given secondary missions for the day.

In most cases, genin teams were assigned between two and five missions, based on difficulty and when possible, task efficiency. If there were multiple tasks in a single neighborhood, often one team would be assigned them. Unless of course the task load was too much for a single squad.

Team Kakashi's day had started off with simple weeding, a task made slightly less onerous with the pokemon's help. The humans had spent the morning tossing the unwanted plants into the air, where the pokemon would either catch and pile them, or simply burned them out of the sky as Charmander shamelessly showed off his recently attained firebreath.

Following that, they spent a couple hours watching a quartet of toddlers who's parents had made plans for a morning get together. Three families had pooled their money to hire the ninja on short notice when their regular babysitter had broken her leg the day before. Normally, requesting a mission with so little notice would have cost extra, but one of the parents managed a shop and decided to use time from his business maintenance allotment for the day. Such a personal use was frowned upon, but since he had a considerable amount saved up from prior years of unuse, it was permitted.

The children seemed to enjoy themselves, though Eevee and Naruto held their awe the most. Ralts was too delicate to spend much time with the young humans, and Charmander avoided any close contact, due in part to wariness regarding his tail-flame. Sakura found herself tasked with the basic hygiene and food preparation for them, Sasuke being unwilling to deal with such civilian matters, and Naruto simply incompetent about them.

The blond did acquit himself rather well by taking over the feeding once the pinkette was satisfied with her efforts. A simple gesture, and a group of shadowclones appeared to take up the work and give the three a rest.

When the parents returned, raving about the newest Princess Gale movie, they were amazed to find their home cleaner than when they had left, and all four children asleep on the furniture. The twins had each claimed one of Naruto's arms as pillows, and he looked up nervously at their parents as they collected their offspring and freed him. The adults smiled at him and left for home with their still slumbering charges while Kakashi settled up with the man who had employed the team.

They were headed to deliver the groceries requested by the last of their missions Yet again Naruto proved his worth, hauling eighteen of the twenty-bag order thanks to his clones. Truly he was the premier packhorse of Konoha.

Arriving at the quaint two story home of their employer, Sasuke banged loudly on the door. The sworn avenger really couldn't understand what this nonsense had to do with being a ninja, and wasting most of the day on ridiculous chores wouldn't help him get strong enough to reach his goals.

Sasuke was tempted to pound on the door again, but his Uchiha pride forbade him from showing even that much impatience in front of the Dobe. It was bad enough the dead last could manage such a useful technique, and Kakashi-sensei refused to teach it to him, claiming some nonsense about Naruto having more chakra than most jounin.

Just as he was about to give in to his temptation, the door swung open, revealing a friendly faced woman with a large belly. Her green eyes swept over the crowd in her yard before clasping her forehead in one fair hand. She groaned what Sasuke assumed was a name before gesturing for the group to come in.

As they filed in, the Naruto's vanishing into smoke after placing their burdens carefully on the dining room table, which had been swiftly cleared of a vase of flowers. The last of the baggage deposited, the real Naruto turned to the woman and smiled brightly as Ralts cheered in recognition.

"Hey! It's the watermelon lady! Long time no see!" The wondering expression she wore while watching the duplicated boys vanish into smoke fell away into giggles as Ralts batted her inadvertently rude partner in the back of the head.

The shock of seeing the loving pokemon actually thwap Naruto saved him from a far worse blow, as Sakura stared in arrested wonder while the pokemon admonished him soundly in her own language.

"I'm sorry! I forgot her name!" He exclaimed as he ineffectually ducked and dodged, trying to escape the admittedly weak hits coming from the carrier he wore.

"It's all right," the woman said, scooping Ralts from her assault as the boy passed by. "I don't mind, you did seem a bit distracted at the time. My name is Gracia, and it's a welcome surprise to see you again." Gracia smiled kindly at the boy.

"Yeah, still... I'm sorry for forgettin'." Naruto replied sheepishly. "Um, This is Sakura-chan and her Eevee, and next to her is Sasuke-teme and his Charmander. Our teacher's Kakashi-sensei... I dunno where his pokemon are..." Naruto decided to make the introductions, since he was somewhat acquainted with the woman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Gracia replied, bowing as gracefully as her distended stomach would allow. "Would you like some tea? I was about to make some, so it would be no trouble."

Sasuke seemed about to refuse, but Kakashi stepped in and answered for them.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline, I should really report our assignments as complete. But they'll be happy to stay around a bit and help you put the groceries away, it's the least they can do for someone in your condition." The jounin smiled at her while she signed off on the delivery, then left with a cheerful wave to his team.

"What condition?" Naruto asked innocently. The wide eyed looks of surprise he received made him nervous until Sasuke broke his Uchiha stoicism.

"What are you stupid? She's obviously pregnant." He blurted out, before clicking his jaw shut. It wasn't his duty to educate his lessers, especially in regards to things that obvious.

"No way! That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed. "So... so, she's gonna have a baby, right? Is the baby in her belly? Is that why you hit me Ralts-chan? I'm sorry for calling the baby a watermelon." Naruto's excited rush of chatter brought a sad look to the woman's face.

She had done some asking around in regards to the boy's ostracism, but the answers she'd received had been widely varied. Almost every shop and business she asked at had a different theory.

Some people said he had an incurable contagious disease, but the hospital claimed he hadn't been sick a day in his life. The occasional training accident, sure, but even those didn't keep him down for long. They thought he was a political hostage, to keep his missing-nin parents from causing trouble, but if that were the case, he'd never have been trusted in the academy. Others believed he might be a bloodline holder taken from another village, but that didn't seem right either, given his lack of dedicated training.

The discordant beliefs had actually helped in a way, some people she had spoken too seemed curious as to the truth. And in her eyes such things could only help.

The woman returned Naruto's pokemon to him, and turned away to set some tea brewing. As she worked, Sakura explained the bare basics of procreation to him. Nothing about the birds and the bees, she was the last one who wanted to encourage such thoughts in his mind, but she did cover a bit about the growth of babies and their entry into the world.

A few minutes later, Gracia brought a tray of drinks and cookies over, Sakura gently took it from her while Naruto urged her to take a seat in the couch that was positioned near the kitchen's entrance. She reluctantly thanked them and took her tea from the platter.

After the three had started in on their drinks, sharing the cookies with their pokemon as they did, Naruto felt curious enough to ask: "Hey, what kinda tea is this anyway?"

"Green pekoe, it might be a bit light in flavor, but I'm afraid it's all I have on hand at the moment." She replied with a hint of an embarrassed blush.

"Why do I smell peppermint?" Naruto wondered aloud. The slightly minty aroma had been tickling his nose since the tea had been served, and he couldn't quite locate the source.

"Oh, that's my tea..." She replied, blushing brighter. "I added the last of the peppermint oil to it. I've been cramping a bit today, and my mother swore peppermint was the way to sooth them when I was young."

"Cramps?" Sakura asked nervously. "Are you sure you're not..." She looked pointedly at the woman's belly."

"No, not at all," Gracia reassured the girl. "I'm not due for another two weeks. Maes would never forgive himself if he missed the big event."

Comforted by the woman's confidence, they finished their drinks. As soon as he finished, Naruto settled his Ralts on the counter, where she would be able to see everything and started emptying the first bag onto the counter next to her.

"Alrighty, you tell me what goes where, and I'll get this put away in no time!" He declared.

"You really don't need to. I'm not that helpless you know." Gracia replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the idea of being such a bother.

"Nonsense," Sakura responded. "Kakashi-sensei told us to help, and that's what we're gonna do." Thus decided, she tossed back the last of her tea and joined Naruto in his efforts.

Sasuke glowered a bit, but reluctantly joined them, fully intent on ending this boring affair soon, so he could get back to his real training.

With the three working at Gracia's direction, they managed to get the horde of groceries stored with a minimum of fuss. Occasionally she would sigh and mutter her husband's name when they revealed something particular to his obsessive habits. Like the half dozen packages of diapers, each in different sizes. This would have been a sweet gesture, but she just told Sasuke to put them in the baby's room with the rest.

Needless to say, even he was a little disturbed by the stacks of similar items nearly covering one wall.

Their almost voluntary task complete, they said their farewells and headed for the exit, Gracia pulling herself up from the couch where she had been laying. Naruto felt a flash of cold fear stab through him through Ralts, and he instantly turned to the pallid face of their employer.

Abandoning all sense of decorum, she darted a hand towards her inner leg, which came away glistening with moisture. She smelled the fluid, and whitened further, before her eyes rolled back in her head and the woman collapsed.

Sasuke, who had been walking the slowest, eager to leave but loathe to reveal that determination, was luckily close enough to grab the woman as she fell. Naruto and Sakura arrived before he had even caught her full weight and helped settle her to the ground.

"What happened? Did she pee herself or somethin'?" Naruto asked with typical bluntness.

Sakura dabbed the liquid with her finger and took a sniff, in an odd mix of color, the girl seemed to blush and pale all at once. "Tell me what this smells like!" She ordered, holding the offending hand towards the boys.

"Cleaning stuff." Naruto responded.

"Bleach." Sasuke replied blandly, though his expression was mildly curious..

"Damn." Sakura cursed. "Her water broke. That means she's having the baby today. Naruto, Can Ralts get her to the hospital?"

Ralts answered herself, shaking her head vigorously, pointing to the woman's belly and then making an X with her arms.

"Not even with just you and her and the baby?" Sakura pressed, the hospital was the woman's best bet, but if Ralts couldn't do it, there was no way the three genin could risk carrying her through the streets.

Her hopes were dashed when the little pokemon just shook her head sadly. There must be something particular about pregnant women, or maybe just being so close to labor. Complications right now could spell disaster.

"Naruto! I need you to listen close. You and Ralts need to get to the hospital and bring back a midwife or maternity doctor. I'm not sure what all she needs, but they'll be able to help."

"Are... Are you sure Sakura-chan? Maybe she just got really embarrassed or somethin'? She said the baby wasn't gonna come for a couple weeks, right?"

"Do you really want to take a chance on this? I'm pretty sure I'm right... I did some reading a while back." Naruto didn't miss her accidental glance towards Sasuke when she said that.

Pushing his jealousy away, Naruto nodded firmly. "Right! I need a middle wife or a matronly doctor! I'll be back before you know it! Dattebayo!"

Before either of his teammates could correct him, Naruto vanished in a burst of blue light.

"I really hope that idiot doesn't screw up..." Sakura sighed as she set about getting Gracia comfortable. She settled her onto her left side, faintly remembering that was supposed to help control the spasms in false labor.

While she did that, she sent Sasuke hunting for towels, to clean up the hardwood floor. The last thing they needed was for the doctor to pop in and injure himself or Gracia in a nasty slip.

* * *

Naruto appeared in an azure burst, startling the occupants of the hospital's waiting room. One nurse fell backwards in a flutter of documents as her walkway was suddenly occupied by the boy's rush to the registry desk.

"I need a doctor! Or a middle wife!" He exclaimed into the face of the rather taciturn woman behind it.

"Here. You'll need to fill out these forms. Take a seat and try not to disturb the others." She replied grumpily, offering him a paper-laden clipboard. "The doctor will be receiving patients in order of severity."

Naruto snatched the object from her and flipped through it rapidly before deciding it was useless for his needs. Ralts watched over his shoulder, occasionally looking around at the relatively few people populating the waiting room..

"Look! Watermelon lady's havin' a baby and I gotta get a matronly doctor there now!" Seeing the woman's uncooperative expression, Naruto showed what he believed to be great self control by tossing the paperwork onto her desk, rather than into her face.

Watching the item skitter across her desk and send her own paperwork into disarray, the woman slapped her hand onto it as it slid by, rising to stare witheringly at the boy. "Listen here you little brat, if this is your idea of a prank, you're barking up the wrong tree. Now I suggest you get out of this hospital before I throw you out!"

Naruto stepped back in surprise. Of course, the first time his history of pranking bites him in the ass it would be something this important. Deciding to berate himself later, he made his handsign.

"I don't got time to waste with you lady! Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" In a burst of smoke a dozen Naruto's were revealed. "Spread out and find a baby doctor!" the only one carrying Ralts ordered. "But um... try to remember this is a hospital..." he clarified.

The gang of clones groaned in unison before dashing off in a relatively quiet rush.

The woman gaped at him like a fish for a moment before asking incredulously, "Just what the heck was that?"

Naruto stared back at her coldly, remembering how much it bothered him to be looked at that way. "If you aren't gonna do your job, then I'll find my own help. Gracia an' her baby are counting on me and I'm not gonna screw up. Don't worry though, once a baby doctor gets here I'll leave."

The woman sat back and tapped the call button for security, glaring at the boy while he waited impatiently. It was mere seconds before he started pacing rapidly, glancing at the clock on the wall periodically. The oddly colored baby-thing on his back talked quietly to him, and he eventually blew out a heavy breath and stopped pacing, opting to stand out of the way of traffic.

It couldn't have been more than two minutes before one of the clones was back, dragging a tall older man with hair silvered by age.

"This guy can do it!" The clone announced. "He's the director, so he can do everything, right?"

"Now see here you little ruffian. Release me this instant!" the old man demanded, yanking himself loose from his captor. The clone stumbled forward and slammed face-first into the receptionist's desk, where it dispelled in a cloud of smoke.

The doctor looked at the approaching boy and compared him to his precise memory of the one who had found him in the lounge and dragged him here. They were exactly alike, a solid sentient copy... it could only be a Shadow clone. But this boy looked barely old enough to be a genin, and after the tragic instability of so many prodigiously talented ninja, Sarutobi insisted against rapid advancement through the ranks. So how did this child obtain such a technique?

"Who are you and what do you want?" He asked, in a calm and somewhat presumptuous tone. Child prodigy or not, even the last Uchiha would do well to behave in this hospital.

"Dr... Yakushi, Director of Accident & Emergency Care." Naruto read aloud from the elderly man's name tag. "You know anythin' about delivering babies?" He hoped so, if a baby wanting to be born in your living room wasn't an emergency, Naruto sure didn't wanna know what the doctor might think is.

"Of course I do!" Dr. Yakushi responded with a touch of pride. "I've personally overseen the births of both the Sandaime's children, and his grandson to boot." The strange question from the unusual boy puzzled the doctor, and the large smile on the boy's face wasn't reassuring him any.

"He'll do!" Naruto called towards the receptionist happily, making a gesture and dispelling the clones who were still around.

Before Dr. Yakushi could protest or even ask what he was expected to do, the boy grasped his arm firmly and the pokemon with him called it's name. After that his sight was washed away with blue light.

* * *

He heard groans of pain and demands for help before his vision cleared and he received the answers he sought in an unpleasant fashion. In front of him was a woman obviously in the early to mid stages of labor, being tended by a pink haired girl who looked at him with an expression of panic.

Shaking off his disorientation with the ease of long years working with peculiar ninja, Dr. Yakushi settled next to the woman and fired up a diagnostic medical jutsu, talking reassuringly to her the whole time. The woman was lucid and as calm as a person in her unpleasant situation could be. Promising to remain until the baby was born, he advised her as best he could, demonstrating the way she should breath and helping her lay in a position that should delay full birth until they were ready.

Looking around he spotted a multitude of towels, quite a few were spread around and under the woman who gave her name as Gracia, while some were wadded up and shoved out of the way, and yet more were stacked on the nearby chair. That was good, there wasn't likely to be time to transport her to the hospital, and the towels would be needed to keep the baby from getting chilled.

Pulling a notepad from the deep pocket of his pristine white coat, he scribbled rapidly as he strode over to where the pink haired girl was berating the blond for taking his time coming back.

"But Sakura-chan," he whined, "I had to find the guy 'cause the nurse told me to leave! I got back as fast as I could..."

Dr. Yakushi made a mental note to talk with the receptionist. There were very few circumstances that warranted being ejected from the hospital, and while the boy toed the line with the clones he had sent out, nothing he'd seen actually crossed it... Well, not until he abducted a doctor at any rate, and even that was mitigated by the circumstances.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said tersely, interrupting the pinkette's tirade. "I need some supplies from the hospital, please be so kind as to fetch them for me... Naruto, was it?" He had picked up the boy's name from Sakura's comments.

Said girl snatched the list of materials from the blond's hands and sent what she must have felt was a winning smile his way.

"Don't worry Doctor, I'll make sure we get what you need and are back as soon as possible." Turning to the wide eyed blond, she simply glowered and said "Well?"

"S... Sure thing Sakura-chan!" He replied, before grabbing her arm and disappearing in a blue burst, along with his pokemon.

Dr. Yakushi frowned at the space the brash young girl had been before turning to the last of the team.

"Then I guess the other task defaults to you. I want you to go to this address and bring the woman who lives there here. Her name is Granny Sanba and she's the closest midwife I know of."

Sasuke took the slip of paper and grimaced at it before nodding once and heading out, Charmander started after him, but stopped when the doctor gestured for him to stay. With an ease that belied his age and mediocre physique, the doctor loaded the nearby fireplace with logs from the convenient wood rack. Seeing his intention, Charmander lit the stack with negligent effort.

It wasn't cold out yet, but newborns are notoriously susceptible to chills, and he intended to take every precaution possible. Dr. Yakushi washed his hands and checked on Gracia, who claimed to be much more relaxed. The sweat on her brow and low extended groan that followed the statement proved that things were still progressing, but he reassured her as he would have if she were safely in the hospital.

Once satisfied, he set about clearing the room of everything he could, shoving the majority of the furniture in a corner and making space for Granny Sanba and he to work.

Kami only knows what that cantankerous old bat would do if she arrived and found things not to her liking.

* * *

Sasuke watched indifferently as the stoop-backed woman he had been sent to find puttered around filling a worn canvas bag with everything from bottles of water to infant supplies.

The last Uchiha was somewhat unnerved. The doddering old woman had been supremely unimpressed with him from the moment he found her sitting on her porch knitting a sweater from what seemed suspiciously like colored ninja wire.

Usually civilians fell over themselves trying to be of service to him, but this Granny Sanba seemed nearly oblivious to his presence.

It had actually fallen to him to speak first! Him, Sasuke Uchiha, closest thing to royalty after the Hokage himself. Begging favors from some senile old woman like... like Naruto!

And if that wasn't bad enough, the woman refused his grudgingly respectful request for aid, at least until he mentioned that Hughes-san had gone into labor.

That got a reaction, she looked at him over her knitting for a long moment, as if she though he would lie about something so trifling. Apparently satisfied, she groaned her way out of her rocking chair and went inside, imperiously ordering him to bring her knitting bag inside.

Finally done collecting her random junk, the woman stalked past him and out the door.

_'About time,'_ Sasuke thought, as he started for the gate... only to come up short as a sharp call halted his progress.

"Hey! Where you think you're going? Get over here and pull, chop-chop now!"

Sasuke turned slowly, less from his attempts to salvage his image than from annoyed tension. The frustrating old woman was seated in a contraption that looked like a two wheeled cart attached to a pair of long poles with a crossbar.

_'What the hell?'_ Sasuke wondered blankly as he walked over for a closer look..

"Never seen a rickshaw, eh sonny? Don't you worry, Granny will teach you." She said flashing him a nearly toothless smile. "You grab the bar there and pull, and I won't hit you with this here whip... Now Giddyap!"

Sasuke leapt in surprise as the woman transitioned from a somewhat benign if unpleasant person, to a whip wielding psychopath. In an instinctive response not dissimilar to that he had inspired in Tora, Sasuke grabbed the bar and took off.

When they arrived a few minutes later, the old woman laughed shrilly and dropped a pair of grainy white cubes in his hand as she went inside. Recognizing the insult for what it was, he crushed them and vowed to be long gone by the time she needed to go back.

He would later realize, despite the additional weight and being unable to drag the cart along a direct rooftop route, he somehow made better time getting back than he did finding his tormentor's home.

* * *

As soon as they appeared at the hospital, Sakura walked confidently to the receptionist's desk, where the woman was talking animatedly with a pair of Anbu. She couldn't help but overhear the woman's loud complaints about 'That damn trickster' who she claimed had kidnapped a doctor.

It didn't take her long to determine who she meant, and what her idiot of a teammate had done. Her righteous fury hit a snag however, when the woman explained that he had barged in demanding a 'baby doctor' and made up some story about a pregnant woman going into labor in her home. A story she believed he made up in an attempt to get her to drop her guard.

Finding herself in the peculiar position of having Naruto done what he was supposed to and someone else causing the mistake, Sakura decided she had heard and waited long enough. Slipping between the guards, she stepped boldly up to the desk.

Behind his mask, one of the Anbu cocked an eyebrow at the impertinent act, but held his tongue. They hadn't missed Naruto and the girl's unsubtle arrival, though it seemed the receptionist had yet to realize their presence.

Sakura held the note up to the woman, and spoke in a challenging voice. "Dr. Yakushi requires these items to assist in the urgent delivery of Gracia Hughes-san's baby. Please arrange for them to be brought so that we can deliver them immediately."

The woman, who's accusations had trailed off as the pink-haired girl passed the men, snatched the paper from her hands roughly and read through it swiftly, gritting her teeth at the evidence of her dual mistakes.

"That certainly looks like Dr. Yakushi's handwriting," the bear-masked Anbu remarked, having moved to read over her shoulder.

The receptionist jumped in surprise, before glaring at the man looming over her. She growled a comment that might have been acceptance of the request before turning and storming into the back room.

"Do be swift about it!" Called the second, frog-masked Anbu. "We need to have a talk about filing false reports!" The woman stiffened a moment, before hurriedly continuing on her way.

"Shame we can't charge civilians with dereliction of duty..." the first muttered, annoyed at the woman's attitude in general.

The woman returned with such haste and a glare so fierce, Sakura knew that the unpleasant woman wanted them on their way as quickly as Sakura herself did. As the woman deposited the large travel bag on the counter, it thumped loudly, and the pinkette winced, hoping none of the doctor's requests were fragile.

The first Anbu, apparently sharing her concerns, stepped forward faster than Sakura could and swiftly inspected the contents. Nodding in satisfaction, he carefully handed her the bag and gestured silently for her to leave, before turning his gaze back on the receptionist.

She paled considerably as it occurred to her how her actions appeared, the Anbu's no longer relaxed postures informing her of how gravely they considered her petty animosity.

Making her way past the two men, Sakura grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him outside and away from whatever might be said or done by the adults.

When they were safely away from the building and near the pillars marking the entryway, Sakura turned to her blond companion expectantly.

"Well?" She prompted, a smug smile on her face.

Naruto, taking what he believed to be a hint, began talking a mile a minute. "You were great, Sakura-chan! You really showed that mean ol' lady what for! You..." His animated acclaim trailed to a stop as he noticed her gesture for him to do so.

"Thanks," she said, giving the excitable boy an exasperated smile, "but don't you think we should get this stuff to Gracia's place?" She was mildly annoyed that her prompt was so totally misconstrued, but one can never fault Naruto on enthusiasm.

"Oh! Right!" He replied, he reached out and gripped her arm tightly, enjoying the only physical contact she would allow him, and gave Ralts a nod.

Ralts cooed her name softly, and a blue glow suffused her before bleeding slowly over the two humans. The instant they glowed completely, a sharp cry punctuated the expected explosion of blue light.

Heavy breathing assaulted their ears as they blinked their dazzled eyes clear. The scene before them was not what they expected, for they were still in the hospital's yard. The two humans shared a look, before turning to Ralts.

Naruto gasped and pulled the limp pokemon from where she lay collapsed on his shoulder. Holding her close, he checked her pulse and breathing.

"What's wrong? Is she okay?" Sakura asked, concern obvious in her voice.

Naruto did some fast counting and cursed viciously, he couldn't believe his stupidity! Ralts had teleported nearly twice as many people today than she ever had before. Himself that morning to reach the training ground, then to the hospital and back again with the doctor, then bringing Sakura-chan back again.

"She's completely drained," he replied to Sakura's question. "She musta been pushing herself hard to help Gracia and the baby..."

"Great," Sakura replied glumly, "How are we supposed to get back now? It'll take forever to get there on foot."

Sakura began to pace agitatedly and she wracked her brain for an idea, it would take the better part of an hour to walk there, and she certainly didn't have the stamina to run the whole way.

The decision was made for her when Naruto grabbed the doctor's pouch from her and a second blond boy gently placed Ralts in the puzzled girl's arms. She looked at the tiny pokemon in confusion a moment, before squeaking in surprise when she felt herself get scooped up and lifted in a manner she had hoped Sasuke would eventually do.

As her surprise wore off, she glowered at the offending arms, fixed carefully under her knees and across her back, thankful that the idiotic boy at least had the sense to keep away from anywhere indiscreet. The boy himself ignored her ire, sweeping his eyes across the village.

* * *

Naruto was ecstatic, here he was actually **holding** Sakura-chan, and she couldn't really yell at him for it. She might still hit him later, but he figured it'd be worth it.

He knew she wasn't happy with him, and noticed her glaring when he was looking around, but he just had to savor the feeling for a while before leaving via the route he'd used ever since he learned to do that cool ninja jumping trick.

A few short seconds later, he leapt away. Sakura-chan wouldn't have liked him carrying her for long anyway, but once they were up top he knew it'd be a snap to find Gracia's place.

* * *

Just as Sakura decided to demand he put her down or, Ralts or no, she was going to hurt him. He took a flying leap, and she had to snap her jaw shut or risk biting off part of her tongue.

Three jumps that Sakura knew she couldn't realistically make even with a running start, took them from the ground, to the top of the entry pillar, then to the top of a light pole, and finally onto the roof of a building at least three stories high and fifty feet from where they had started.

Looking behind them, she watched the shadowclone bounce into view and race after them across the village skyline. She turned her eyes forward again and watched them approach the residential district at a nearly unbelievable pace, leaping from building to building and forgoing the street routes she'd have been consigned to on her own. She felt a sudden appreciation for why so many ninja seemed to travel this way through the village.

Passing through a small shopping district, she shrieked aloud when a hanging sign broke beneath Naruto's feet, leaving the worn wooden object swinging by a single hinge and the pair falling freely toward the crowded plaza below.

Before her frayed nerves could even begin to think her way through the problem, or the probable results of a two story plummet onto the hard road, Naruto was acting to avoid it.

Bringing his hands together, momentarily mourning the jumpsuit's sleeves that prevented anything resembling a proper appreciation of the flesh squeezed between his forearms, Naruto called on his favorite jutsu.

The new clone popped into existence almost directly beneath him, providing the surprising blond a sudden if temporary platform, which he used to spring away towards the next building on his path, leaving a thin cloud of chakra smoke behind.

Once safely on the building, Naruto sent off another clone, to apologize for the disruption and repair the damage, if possible. While he and his pink haired burden chased after the supply carrying clone, who had originally trailed them by enough of a margin that it simply chose a new route when the sign proved untenable.

* * *

By the time they arrived, albeit in a fraction of the time Sakura knew it would have taken her, Sasuke and a strange old woman were already there. She watched as the other woman ambled around the room, muttering to herself and occasionally dragging a withered finger across various fixtures as if looking for dust.

As the pinkette walked over to the doctor, Naruto having reluctantly put her down upon arrival in the Hughes' yard, the old woman stormed over and spoke briskly.

"About time! What took you so long? Nevermind that, come with me!" Ignoring Sakura's stammering attempts at a reply, the girl found herself dragged bodily down the hall and into the bathroom.

As soon as the door swung shut behind them, the old woman twisted the sink's faucet to maximum heat and tossed her pink haired captive a bar of soap sealed in some kind of plastic cover.

"Wash up," she commanded. "Nails to elbows, and don't skimp on the suds."

"Wait, you can't be expecting me to help deliver the baby... can you?" the girl responded, surprise and pride warring within her.

"Hah!" Granny Sanba replied with a mirthless cackle, "as if a pretty young thing like you knows the first thing about the ugly side of babies. No, you're just here to help me get ready." She then returned to rooting around in her bag, chuckling in dark amusement.

Sakura, not wanting to embarrass herself further, was quiet for the rest of her current task. Following her orders without comment or complaint, despite the soap that abraded her skin like sandpaper, and the water that was easily hot enough to cook Naruto's ramen right from the tap.

She had to repeat the washing twice before Granny slavedriver was satisfied, at which point she ordered Sakura to stand aside and not touch anything. She herself duplicated the washing process in triplicate, dropping the used bar in the nearby trash bin once she finished.

By this time Sakura's arms had dried, thanks to the scaldingly hot water evaporating, and after the old woman shook her own free of moisture, she talked her young assistant through helping her dress in the pristine white smock, mask, hair cover and gloves she had brought in similar sterile packaging to the soap.

Once complete, Sakura opened the door and Granny Sanba trundled back to Gracia, moving with exaggerated care to avoid touching anything on the way.

Back in the impromptu delivery room, they found Dr. Yakushi running yet another diagnostic jutsu on Gracia, while Naruto sat near the prone woman's head and talked to her encouragingly.

Eevee, having been told in no uncertain terms to 'keep her furry ass away' perched on the seat of a stuffed sofa which had been pushed against the wall, beside her lay Ralts, snoring softly while holding her canine friend's tail. Not far from them, Charmander stood beside the lit fireplace, staring intently into the flames.

By contract, Sasuke was about as far away as he could be, leaning against the kitchen door, glowering at nothing in particular.

"You!" The old woman called, "you're an Uchiha, right?"

Sasuke perked up a little, though he tried to continue projecting an air of superior indifference as he nodded.

"Good, go boil some water. You little firebugs are good at that, and we're gonna need a lot to sterilize this place after the new brat arrives."

Swallowing a scowl, Sasuke turned and passed through the door with tightly controlled movements. Who was that crazy old bat to treat an Uchiha this way?

As the door swung shut, a final parting command was sent his way: "And don't you dare burn her pots!" the hated woman's voice called.

Growling with rage, Sasuke searched for the pots so he could get this degrading day over with.

"Hey Granny, what should I do?" Naruto asked when Sasuke was gone.

She gazed at the boy with a hooded expression for a long while, but decided she really couldn't yell at the boy, since 'Granny' was part of her name...

"Got any idea where the father is?" she eventually asked.

Seeing Naruto hesitate as he tried to remember, Sakura spoke up.

"He's on a mission right now. The baby wasn't supposed to come for a couple more weeks, so..." She trailed off into a helpless shrug at the woman's bitter expression.

"Fine then," she decided. "Blondie, you just stay there. Keep her calm and hold her hand. That's what _he's_ supposed to be here for." The scorn in her voice told them what she felt of his absence, even if her mutters about 'useless men' hadn't.

Sakura, not eager to expose herself yet again to the midwife's scorn, fetched a bowl of water and towel and settled opposite of Naruto to offer what support she could, and try to keep the laboring woman cool in the stifling heat.

* * *

It wasn't much longer before Dr. Yakushi's regular inspections yielded the results they were waiting for.

He took a few steps away and flashed through a series of handseals, a burst of yellow light covered his body, before vanishing with a barely audible pop and the smell of ozone filled the room. Releasing a pair of medical gloves from a storage seal apparently integrated into his name tag, he tugged them on as he returned.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, predictably interested in any potentially cool jutsu he encountered.

"Just a basic sterilization technique," the doctor replied with a smile. "It's very handy when performing field operations, but it's lightning based so I have to be careful not to shock anyone when I use it."

Granny Sanba's muttered complaints about cheating ninja were tactfully ignored by those present.

The two experienced medics explained to Gracia what to expect, and what to do to make the delivery go as smoothly as possible, while Dr. Yakushi slipped his hand beneath her back and applied a tag with a pain suppression seal to her spine.

In a move that even she would have to admit was at least a little bit petty, Granny Sanba called Sakura from her self-assigned task and ordered her to act as an intern. Though Dr. Yakushi seemed surprised by the move, he didn't disagree, possibly from sheer self preservation, since even he seemed to defer to the much older woman's acerbic attitude.

The old woman hadn't missed the way the girl bristled at her callous disrespect for the prideful Uchiha, and it didn't take a Nara to guess the reason. By the end of the day, Sakura's desire to bear red eyed babies had taken a blow, though only enough of one to delay her plans until after she could apply some major painkiller jutsu on herself, just in case.

* * *

Somewhere between an hour and a week later, depending on who you asked, it was all over.

Gracia lay on the couch that had been reclaimed from it's pokemon occupants and covered with a thick quilt. She reclined comfortably, feeding her newborn daughter while Dr. Yakushi ran one final diagnostic and Granny Sanba lectured her on anything and everything she might possibly have to deal with.

Sakura had been sent off to fetch a neighbor who had offered to help around the house until Gracia was back on her feet, while Sasuke and a group of Naruto's clones scrubbed under the old woman's hawk-like gaze. Each Naruto had his headband pulled down over his eyes, they had been unsure of whether or not it was proper for a boy to be in the room with a nursing mother, but he wasn't gonna risk being pounded for perversion, just in case.

The midwife had been happily impressed by Naruto's duplication, and had declared it to be the only ninja technique she had ever seen that was worth knowing. A sentiment stemming from her civilian priorities most likely.

Dr. Yakushi took note as well, he knew the boy could create them, but having six around for such a mundane task was nearly mind boggling. He knew that even the Hokage considered more than one or two to be exhausting, but Naruto's comments implied that it was the available space limiting him rather than chakra capacity. The boy truly was a puzzle.

Eevee and Ralts, who had been woken by the surge of emotion as the baby made her way into the world for the first time, had moved around the baby and mother, interested in the new human. Seeing their curiosity, she wished, not for the first time, that her own village had a Legendary allied to it.

There were multitudes of wandering Legendaries who served that purpose for the so-called lesser villages, but her mission schedule had always seemed to result in her missing their irregular visits.

She put that thought aside as she gazed fondly at her newborn daughter, Elicia, thankful that she and Maes had decided on a name long ago. She giggled a bit at the thought of the wonderful surprise she would have for her husband on his return.

Gracia's volunteer help arrived like a maternally inspired tornado, which just happened to be dragging a very perturbed looking Sakura behind it.

Immediately taking command of the situation, she tossed Sasuke, Charmander, and the multiple Narutos out onto the lawn, stating that the day a man could clean properly was the day she would "trade her bra for a jockstrap", whatever that meant.

Naruto lifted his headband and blinked twice, surprised by both the smoke and the unexpected sunlight, before rushing the door, and upon finding it locked, proceeded to pound loudly, demanding that they return Ralts.

The door opened in short order, and through it stepped Dr. Yakushi who had been carrying Ralts until she hopped into her partner's arms. Immediately on his heels was Eevee, darting out while Sakura, posture as tense as if she were expecting to be attacked the second she looked away, backed out the door.

She was explaining to the now jovial neighbor that while she would like to stay, she really had to catch up with her team and get back to training with their sensei.

As soon as she shut the door, Sakura was off like a shot, not stopping until she was down the street and far out of sight of Gracia's home. It fell to the boys to do the actual catching up while Dr. Yakushi walked off in a more direct route to the hospital, laughing as he did.

The boys met up with their teammate quickly, and together the group continued on towards the Hokage's tower., Sakura rubbing her much-abused arm as they did.

"I swear, if anyone else so much as touches this arm, I am going to snap!" She complained, letting her frustrations from the day be known.

Sasuke nodded in something close to sympathy, while Naruto just walked obliviously. He really didn't think it was that bad a day.

* * *

At the tower, they were surprised to find Kakashi lounging on one of the waiting room couches reading his book.

"Yo, what kept you?" he called, waving lazily as they entered.

Sakura was on him in an instant, her finger stabbing towards him accusingly and, in his opinion, rudely blocking his view of the book.

"Do you have any idea what we just went through!" She shrieked in a voice not even Naruto could claim to be pleasant.

"It was just some groceries, how bad can it have been?" Their sensei replied, casually moving her arm away with his free hand as he gave the girl one of his fabulous eye smiles.

His eye closed and attitude relaxed, he didn't see or sense the incoming blow until it was too late.

He would never understand why or how it was that Sakura Haruno, fangirl extraordinaire, was the first of his team to really hit him, and in fact the first person since his own genin days to give him a black eye.

Nor could he figure out why she screamed the phrase "Stop grabbing my goddamn arm!" when she did it.

* * *

And there is chapter five, next chapter will begin the Wave arc, which I expect to take two to complete. Sorry yet again for the rather slow updates, but I think I'm gonna aim for once a month as an average, faster if a chapter flows well for me. Hopefully the week or so I spent converting my unorganized notes into a concise timeline will aid in that endeavor, hehe.

To my unknown reviewers and any others who might be interested, I thank you for any suggestions you might make. I cannot promise to use your ideas, but given the sheer number of ninja and pokemon there are, your aid does help me decide those partner pairings I've not yet committed to, as well as pointing out thoughts that hadn't occurred to me. (I admit I had completely forgotten Kushina's partner, though I now have some idea of a way to use it when I figure out what it is.)

As per a review suggestion I have included a list of bonded pokemon in my profile, though at the moment it only includes those actually seen in the story, as well as Kuranai and Asuma's.

Thank you again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed,

-Mhyrloc


	6. Did you C that? What A ninja!

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

* * *

In the mission room of the Hokage's tower Naruto and his teammates waited with apparent patience. Kakashi and a few other jounin-sensei stood before the chunin paper-pusher looking over the list of available chores that could be foisted off on genin as missions.

Naruto rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited. It was an off day for the academy's students, and Iruka-sensei was here discussing the new teaching methods with Sarutobi-jiji, methods that Naruto would proudly admit to being the main test subject for.

With the two most respected influences in his life present, Naruto was determined to make a good impression. He had noticed that his recently developed calmer temperament had resulted in him being regarded with far more respect than he had ever hoped for in his life. He hadn't stopped being silly or having fun when he could, but he had drawn a firm line in regards to his 'on the job' attitude and tried to adhere to it, with surprising results.

An additional benefit was that his team was left alone by the worst of the micro-managing clients. Many of those busy-bodies were well aware of the rumors surrounding him, and true or not they were often uncomfortable when he acted in a manner completely at odds with expectations. They tended to react to such discomfort by avoiding the cause, thereby leaving the genin to work in peace rather than hovering about barking orders as they would have otherwise.

As the jounin vied for the choicest, or least degrading and monotonous, missions, yet another appeared. The new ninja strode swiftly from the scattered leaves he created and over to the chunin administrator. A few quiet words were exchanged, and the chunin retrieved yet another scroll from the desk he sat at.

The scroll was old, and had the appearance of much use. It also seemed to exude an aura of foreboding for the boy, a sensation that a quick glance revealed Sakura-chan shared. The teme of course looked as constipated as ever.

"Good news!" The seated man called cheerfully, "a new mission just came up. Who wants to go catch Tora?"

The desk was hidden for a long moment by a wall of bodies and fluttering leaves. When the proverbial dust settled, only the chunin and Kakashi remained. On the table lay the now decimated stack of scrolls, and in the chunin's hands was the hated Tora assignment. It was literally untouched by the recent commotion.

Kakashi looked from the chunin to the scattered scrolls and back before eye-smiling at the man.

"Guess we'll take it," Kakashi said merrily, reaching for the offensive object.

The chunin offered it eagerly, but before it could change hands a blast of flames engulfed it. The chunin leapt back in surprise, batting ineffectually at the age dried paper. Kakashi simply turned his one eyed stare upon Charmander, noting with displeasure the flames still licking around it's fangs.

The pokemon met his gaze challengingly, before tilting his head slightly and firing off another blast, reducing what scraps remained of the scroll to ashes in the chunin's now blistered hands.

"Trouble, Kakashi-kun?" the Hokage asked with a smile as he walked over, waving for the chunin to go get himself fixed up.

"Apparently, Charmander doesn't want to go catch Tora today," the jounin deadpanned.

"Does anyone ever?" Iruka commented as he nodded a greeting to his former and current students.

"Care to explain why?" Sarutobi asked, turning his attention to the small reptile.

Charmander cocked his head to the side, then with an odd little shrug attempted to do so. First it pointed at the desk, with it's burden of scrolls, and spat a tongue of flame in their direction, this one thankfully aimed to fall short. Then pointed at itself and flexed it's diminutive arms in a caricature of a human bodybuilder, flaring it's tail-flame for emphasis.

"So... the missions are too easy you say?" Sarutobi clarified. "And do your teammates share your sentiments?" The Hokage swept his gaze across the remaining three genin and two pokemon, his expression carefully neutral.

The genin shared a look before Naruto spoke.

"Permission to speak freely?" he requested formally, to the surprise of their few observers and the pleasure of Iruka, who had asked the boy to at least try to observe proper protocol in public.

Receiving an amused nod of approval from the Hokage, Naruto continued.

"These missions suck!" he declared loudly, earning a chuckle from Sarutobi and a sigh from Iruka. "I mean, half of this stuff I coulda done in the academy. I know why we do it, and I agree it's a good idea. Can't have the villagers thinkin' we're all crazy jerks or nothin', but I'd like to do a real mission for once! No groceries. No gardenin'. Something that real ninja do, ya know?"

Sarutobi slid his attention to Ralts, who nodded in agreement, if a bit hesitantly. Continuing on, Sakura seemed torn, but agreed after steeling her convictions silently, her Eevee seemed eager for the offered adventure.

Sasuke nodded once, firmly, his eyes glittering at the prospect. "The D... Naruto's right." He reconsidered the insult which had practically become a nickname by now, remembering the Dobe's relationship with the Hokage. "We aren't going to get stronger doing these menial chores for the villagers. We need a real test."

None of the adults who knew Sasuke's nature were fooled by his use of the word 'We'. The avenger wanted to test his own strength, and his team's presence would be a secondary consideration at best.

"Well Kakashi?" The Hokage asked, now that they all knew the genin's opinions. "Do you think they're ready for a higher mission?"

Kakashi made a show of thinking about it. "I'd rather wait... but if they're so eager then I don't see why we can't try an easy C rank. They've proven surprisingly capable so far."

"Well then, I think I have just the thing." Sarutobi turned and led the team towards his office, the genin and their allies celebrating quietly as they walked.

* * *

Arriving in the Hokage's private sanctum, they found one of the high backed wooden chairs occupied by a tall, spectacled man who reeked of cheap liquor. That, combined with his blood-shot eyes and somewhat vacant expression made it obvious that he had consumed more than a little of the sake jug at his side.

Sarutobi frowned slightly as he claimed his own seat behind the desk, but decided to write off the event as nervousness, probably stemming from the obvious Anbu guards that had remained while he'd gone to see about available teams. True, he'd gotten distracted speaking with Iruka, but he hadn't been gone too long.

"Thank you for waiting, Tazuna-san. This is Team Kakashi, and they will be escorting you back to your village, as well as ensuring your security through the completion of your building project."

Tazuna looked over the group, his bleary eyes eventually settling on Naruto, with Ralts in his arms. "You sure these brats are ninja? And isn't that one a bit young to have a kid of his own?"

Naruto looked at Ralts in confusion at the man's comment.

"Rest assured, this team is more than capable of handling the task you requested. And while I know she looks unusually human, Ralts-chan there is a pokemon, and as such is a valuable part of their team."

Tazuna rubbed his eyes and took a close look at the creature. Red eyes, green hair, really pale skin, and apparently fingerless hands... Okay, either a pokemon or a really freaky kid. Either way, not his problem.

Tazuna nodded his acceptance. "Still don't think they're tough enough to take down a magicarp, but if it's the best I can get, then I'll take it." Sitting back once more, he took another swig from his bottle.

"That's why I'm here," Kakashi remarked with a smile, appearing almost magically, his face mere inches behind the bottle as it lowered. "Defeating vicious magicarp is my specialty. They're just here to handle everything else, alright?"

"S... Super..." Tazuna stuttered in surprise at the jounin's intimidating appearance.

Turning away from their sputtering client, Kakashi commanded his troops. "Okay team, we leave at seven sharp. Be there on time, and ready for a mission lasting for at least three weeks. If I have to come looking for you, neither of us will be happy." Orders given, the cycloptic jounin vanished in the familiar shunshin.

Naruto grinned as fantasies of his finally starting proper ninja career danced through his head.

Sure he was starting out small, but how long could it take to go from protecting cranky old men to the really good stuff? Not long at all if he had his way. He'd be drowning in saved princesses in no time, guaranteed!

He was pulled from his imaginings by Sarutobi-jiji's discrete cough.

"As much as I enjoy your visits Naruto-kun, your team is leaving."

Looking around quickly, Naruto realized the old man was right. "Sorry Jiji, I'll see ya when I get back. I'll do so good you won't believe it! Dattebayo!"

Throwing the doors open, Naruto rushed out, and almost ran headlong into a boy who had decided to take advantage of the moment to attack his grandfather.

"I got you this time! That hat is mine!" Konohamaru shouted as he launched a fistful of shuriken at the Hokage as Naruto twisted out of the line of fire without slowing.

Naruto, with mere moments to act, chose to protect his priorities. Shifting his weight and rotating his body, he turned the impending collision into an impromptu shoulder slam, pulling Ralts in close to his chest and away from risk of injury.

Konohamaru grunted in shock and pain as Naruto plowed through the smaller boy, throwing him aside and to the ground as he passed.

"Watch where you're going you moron!" the blond shouted as he raced to catch up with his teammates.

In the office behind them, Sarutobi caught the two ninja stars that had been on target, and knocked the one that wasn't out of the air with a pen. Eying the objects with a frown, he noted that these certainly weren't academy standard, and in fact were the fully lethal versions issued to ninja as basic equipment.

Yet another shout emanated from the hallway, from Naruto again as he hung by the back of his jumpsuit captured by Konohamaru's tutor, Ebisu. At the far end of the hallway, Sakura looked back unsure, before shaking her head and hurrying after Sasuke, who had started down the stares without a backward glance.

Ebisu carried Naruto over to the younger Sarutobi, his gesturing free hand proving to those who knew his habits that he was in the middle of a stern lecture.

"Now, I expect you wish to apologize properly to the honorable grandson for your unwarranted attack and baseless slander towards his person," the special jounin 'suggested' upon reaching the fallen boy. Knowing full well of Naruto's penchant for escape and evasion, Ebisu kept a firm grip, not even lowering the boy to the floor.

"Fine! I'm sorry he got in my way, now lemme go! I gotta mission to get ready for!" Naruto replied crossly.

Ebisu was prepared to berate the insolent boy for such unbecoming behavior, but his student beat him to the punch.

"You call that an apology? You should get on your knees and beg me to forgive you! Don't you know who I am?" witnessing the 'why should I care?' expression on the older boy's face, he explained. "I'm the Hokage's grandson!" The way he said that made it sound as if he expected that fact to change everything.

Konohamaru knew that he was at fault for the accident, but experience had taught him that nothing he did was inexcusable. In fact, no one seemed to see him as anything more than an extension of his grandfather, and he figured if they were gonna treat him like that, well then he might as well milk it for what it's worth.

"Fine, I got an apology for ya..." Naruto grumbled pulling Ralts in close again. Naruto kicked back with both feet savagely,

Ebisu threw his burdened arm out and his hips back, ensuring that the boy's feet wouldn't impact his gut (or other, more important places). He was quite surprised when the boy reversed his motion, rolling himself forward and up until he'd swung almost vertically, still supported by Ebisu's arm.

Naruto flashed the stunned tutor an upside down grin, then threw himself back in the other direction, delivering a vicious heel-kick to the back of the helmeted boy's head before twisting himself free of the slackening grip and rolling to his feet behind Ebisu.

Despite his position kissing the floor, and the ringing in his ears, Konohamaru heard every word of Naruto's next statement.

"I don't care if you're the Hokage's grandson or grandmother or anything. You mess up, you take your lumps like a man. If you can't handle that, you're too weak to be a ninja, let alone the Hokage. Now, I got real work to do. Let's go Ralts."

Konohamaru looked up in time to watch the older boy vanish in a burst of blue, and witness Ebisu's slack-jawed stare at the event.

"Oh Konohamaru..." the familiar voice of his grandfather called sweetly, "not to interrupt a much needed lesson, but I believe we need to have a chat about where you acquired these..."

Konohamaru looked at the shuriken the Hokage was absently twirling on his finger and gulped. Apparently he was getting another dose of those lumps the blond mentioned, sooner than he expected or desired.

Displaying all the stealth of a lumbering rhydon, Tazuna quietly snuck away, wondering how bad Kiri would have been to petition, especially if the rumors of Konoha being the most normal of the great villages was true.

* * *

In his apartment, Naruto grumbled in frustration. He hated that he'd had to have Ralts teleport them away from those two idiots.

Ever since the incident with Gracia, he'd avoided using that form of travel unless absolutely necessary, worried that another emergency might arise.

It didn't take him long to get his gear together, and once it was done he and Ralts went out to Ichiraku's. If they were going to be gone as long as Kakashi-sensei implied, he was gonna need a good fix to tide him over.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto and Ralts were the first to arrive. They sat near the gate eating the filled rice balls that Ayame-neechan had made them in celebration of their first 'real' mission. While eating, they read through the one book they were told to bring by Iruka-sensei.

The teacher had explained that while Naruto was going on his first C rank earlier than expected, he had full confidence in the boy's ability.

Immediately on the heels of that compliment came his newest educational assignments. Naruto was given a list of tasks he could complete while walking, especially since they would be limited by civilian speed. Primarily the list contained chakra control exercises, with a number of observational and tracking related assignments to work on when opportunities arose.

Additionally, he was given the book he was reading: an encyclopedic assessment of plants, animals and pokemon. Iruka expected him to identify, describe, and where possible list beneficial and detrimental effects of an average of at least one per day during his absence from the village.

Lastly, he was warned that Iruka would expect a report contrasting the social and economic climate of Wave versus Konoha, based on his time and experience there, when he returned. This task in particular seemed troublesome, but Iruka informed him that such information was invaluable for the Hokage when determining foreign policy, and was commonly required of jounin upon completion of missions outside the Land of Fire.

He didn't have to wait long before his teammates arrived, Sasuke storming up with Sakura following behind. The girl carried a pair of bento boxes, and Naruto assumed she had met the teme at his place, fostering the same hope she always seemed to.

In the interests of politeness, Naruto offered the group some of his own breakfast, though Sasuke predictably ignored him and Sakura replied that she apparently had plenty.

Naruto decided to leave her alone as she settled in to eat the boxed meals in solitude. Her sadness made him unhappy, but since she hadn't offered to share, it wouldn't be polite to ask for any. Besides, Ayame made him something special, so he was more than satisfied with his meal.

Unlike their partners, the two pokemon gladly accepted his offer. Charmander, never one to refuse a free meal, swallowed his without even chewing, while Eevee caught the one he tossed her and settled in the grass by Sakura to eat it slowly.

Surprising the team enough that Sasuke tried to dispel any potential genjutsu, Kakashi appeared exactly on time, leaving Tazuna as the last to arrive. Which the old man did within minutes, jogging up completely out of breath and somehow still complaining about how impossible it was to find anything in the 'super huge village'.

Finally ready to leave, Kakashi checked out with the gate guards and the group was on their way.

* * *

They walked on for a few hours, Naruto working diligently on his leaf floating exercise and Ralts gathering leaves with her Confusion ability to replace those lost or destroyed by his intermittent lapses in control.

Sakura strolled casually, alternating her time between futile attempts at conversation with Sasuke and throwing sticks that Eevee seemed to enjoy fetching.

Sasuke strode purposefully in the lead, his dark eyes ever alert despite the practiced expression of boredom on his face. Beside him, Charmander matched his pace with little effort, despite his much shorter legs.

Kakashi walked calmly beside their client, apparently lost in his book, though in actuality he was studying his charges carefully. Sasuke was obviously itching for a fight, a desire the jounin sincerely hoped to go unanswered, while Sakura seemed to be treating the mission as if she were merely taking a walk through one of Konoha's parks.

Naruto seemed lost in contemplation, either of his incessant exercises or his book, whenever Ralts sent him a leaf he couldn't identify easily. Interestingly enough, Ralts would occasionally stare off in seemingly random directions, an act which Naruto would soon mirror even if no apparent communication passed between the two.

Kakashi decided the duplication was evidence of the developing psychic bond between them, with Naruto unconsciously reacting to Ralts' concern or interest. A more valuable opportunity was the chance to subtly test the pokemon's emotional sensing ability, now that they were far enough from the crowds of Konoha to get an accurate assessment.

It didn't take long to determine her range, using his own chakra sensing as a measuring stick to compare against her searching looks. He determined her current limit to be around fifty meters, give or take, but he was confused once when she was looking for someone he couldn't sense. He understood when a traveler came into sight beyond a bend in the road, a civilian who's chakra potential was simply too low for him to notice.

He found himself wondering if the little pokemon would keep, or even improve on, her apparently unavoidable ability as she grew. He chuckled to himself as he considered the nightmare she'd be for missing-nin on a hunter team.

He was in the middle of a rather amusing imagining of Ralts' future self, which happened to look like his old subordinate Neko-chan with Ralts' coloring, hunting down the enemies of Konoha and informing them as they died that she could 'smell their fear', when he was pulled back to reality by his own kunoichi asking a question.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei... I was wondering why you don't keep Absol around like we do with our pokemon?"

"Hmm, habit I guess," Kakashi replied with a lazy shrug. "In Anbu it's not really a good idea to keep them with you, especially if your partner is distinctive. Kinda ruins the point of a mask if you can be identified despite it."

"I guess that makes sense," she conceded, "but where do they go? I mean, Sasuke-kun and I have done it before, but what happens when we do? Where do they go when we send them away?" She stared at the runes on her forearm as she asked the question that all ninja found themselves wondering eventually.

"Home," was Kakashi's simple reply.

"You mean if I send her away, she'll pop up in my bedroom or something?" Sakura asked, thinking of how convenient that would be for reassuring her parents while on missions.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and corrected her, "maybe i said that wrong, I mean their home, not yours... Maybe a better way of thinking about it is this: they return to the place their family lives. It might be in the land of fire, or even in Konoha itself, though that's really rare, or it could be clear across the ocean. Wherever their egg came from originally, that's where they go."

"Cool," Naruto said in response to the unsought information. Among the genin, only he hadn't sent his away at all. "Wait, does that mean if I don't do that, Ralts-chan can't see her family? I don't wanna keep her from her family!" Naruto's concerned exclamation broke his concentration again and the leaf he'd been working with blew away into oblivion.

Kakashi actually laughed aloud at the boy's panicked expression, "Don't worry so much, if she wants to go for a visit she will. The pokemon can activate the transfer whenever they want, as long as those runes of yours remain undamaged. In fact it's a common way for weaker pokemon to escape danger when they're away."

"What happens if they get damaged Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, fully aware that being a ninja, injuries were unavoidable.

"As long as you want the runes, it's impossible to damage it permanently. If it's ever cut deeply enough to render it inactive it will heal as you do, and believe me when I say it's tough to do that without losing the arm entirely. And if you do lose the arm, it'll just move to your other one, and on to a different spot after that, assuming you survive of course."

After a bit of thought, Sakura asked the question he'd hoped she wouldn't. "You said: 'As long as we want it'... what happens if someone decides they don't?"

"If that happens, then when the rune becomes damaged, it will never heal. The skin beneath it and around it will still heal like normal, but the missing parts of the rune will never repair... If the person then changes their mind, they're out of luck. There's no known way to fix it outside of rumor and old legends."

"Why the hell would anyone do that?" Naruto asked in honest surprise.

"As far as I've heard, it's only been done once, And I don't want to know what was going on in her head when she got the idea." Kakashi answered glumly. It was how he knew there was no way to fix it, Sarutobi-sama had personally asked Moltres, who claimed the way to do so was unknown.

The silence stretched uncomfortably long before Tazuna spoke up in an attempt to dispel the oppressive atmosphere.

"So... How do you know where these super little guys come from?"

"We can always ask," Kakashi replied with an eye-smile. "Come on, it's about time for lunch anyway."

The jounin led them a short way into the woods beside the path, to a clearing he knew of. Once there he unsealed a meal of travel rations for the group and unrolled a large map of the recorded world on the ground.

"Now, who wants to be first?" he asked cheerily.

The three non-humans moved over to the map and stared at it, as if getting their bearings. Before too long, Charmander reached out a fore-claw and sketched a large circle over the map, encompassing a large section of the territory claimed by Kusagakure and parts of the Land of Earth bordering it.

"How does he know that?" Sasuke asked, displaying his first measure of active interest in the conversation thus far. He had released Charmander occasionally, when he decided it was worth the headache of teleporting with the Dobe, but certainly not enough that the creature could calculate such a thing by normal means.

"Hereditary memory," Kakashi replied. "It's how pokemon 'learn' moves as they get stronger. They already know just about everything they need to, they just can't remember it until they're able to use the knowledge properly."

Eevee and Ralts stared longer, before Eevee tapped a spot near the Land of Frost. Ralts hopped a few paces away from the eastern side of the map, out away from the land of water. There she drew small circle on the ground and pointed at it.

Naruto blinked at the spot, nearly as far from the edge of the map as Suna was from Kumo. He then scratched his cheek and laughed.

"Guess I'm not meetin' your folks any time soon, huh?"

"Well, maybe we'll make a vacation of it after you all learn to walk on water. Can't be more than a week or two of running, hmm?" Kakashi replied.

Sakura and Sasuke saw the contemplative look on Naruto's face as he mentally measured the distance, and decided they really hoped the jounin was kidding.

The group finished their break in good humor, and were soon back on the road and in high spirits.

* * *

Hey Sakura-chan, check this out!" Naruto called, running over to the pink-haired object of his affection. Sakura had to do a double-take when she saw what he had done.

Naruto had stuck six pine needles to his face with chakra, holding them over his whisker marks almost perfectly. If that wasn't strange enough, he had henged himself a pair of pointy ears and a long tail.

"I'm a kitty!" he declared proudly. "Girls like kitties, right? Don't'cha wanna pet me Sakura-chan?"

Sakura ignored both Kakashi's predictable snickers and Naruto's species inappropriate 'puppy-dog eyes', but she did reply with a smile.

"Why yes Naruto, I do like kitties... but you know who else does too?"

"Who?" Naruto asked, tilting his head in puzzlement.

"Dogs. Get 'em Eevee!"

Eevee leapt at the boy, thrilling her name and snapping playfully at his heels and tail as he led the pokemon on a merry chase.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, it wasn't so long ago that Sakura's response would have been delivered alongside a knuckle sandwich, rather than instigating some sort of impromptu game.

She had even helped the blond on a few occasions, and one could argue that it was her that inspired his current appearance.

Naruto had spent most of the trip practicing with his leaf floating exercises, and had been having some trouble understanding why the varied types of leaves behaved differently, even when he tried to repeat his actions exactly.

Eventually, Sakura took it upon herself to educate him. She collected a number of different leaves and demonstrated the varied reactions they produced.

Naruto wasn't surprised to learn that the larger leaves required more chakra to manipulate than smaller ones, but the information that the leaves has a vascular system similar to animal blood vessels or the chakra circulatory system was unexpected.

She explained that the secret to the exercise was filling those tubes with chakra until it effectively became part of his body. Once he could do that it would become a simple matter of relaxing or exerting the flow to cause movement.

Naruto's main problem, she said, was that he filled them too fast, either rupturing them or launching the leaves away like a shaken can of soda.

Showing him a pine needle, she explained that they were special because the veins all pointed straight along it's length. While rare near Konoha itself, she told him that they were very good for learning the feel of the exercise, especially the leaf sticking one, because they reacted in a measurably predictable fashion. The fact that they dug in and became quite uncomfortable if you used too much chakra was a valuable learning aid too.

Naruto thanked her earnestly, and ripped a few handfuls off the next pine tree they passed to practice with. Practice that was apparently going well, if the fact that he was running around with the needles still attached despite having Eevee latched onto his tail was evidence.

...Wait, what?

Kakashi rubbed his eye and looked again... Yup, there was cat-boy Naruto, and there was Eevee being dragged along with her teeth firmly clamped onto his tail... He looked to his other students to see if they'd noticed the impossibility of the situation, but Sakura was obliviously laughing and cheering her pokemon on, and even Sasuke was smirking wider than normal.

"Alright, stop right there," he demanded, grabbing the boy as he ran by. "Stand." He ordered, before turning his attention to Naruto's 'ears'. Visually, they were spot on, but their texture was more like tough cloth than an actual cat's ear, and it was obvious the additions weren't functional, completely lacking inner openings of any kind.

The inaccurate texture and absence of normal reaction from the ears could easily stem from a lack of experience with felines other than the atypical Tora, but the fact that they had a physical presence at all was supposed to be impossible.

Turning his attention lower, Kakashi inspected the tail. Again the feel was wrong, comparable to soft wire wrapped in fur rather than the bones that should be there. Frowning, Kakashi gripped the tail firmly and gave it a sharp yank.

It resisted slightly before separating from Naruto and poofing away into smoke. Kakashi looked up to see a similarly dispersing cloud around Naruto's head, though the ridiculous whiskers remained.

"What the hell was that for?" the now irritated boy asked, removing the pine needles, now that his game was done.

"Naruto, what jutsu did you use just now?" the jounin asked, ignoring his student's ire.

"Henge, why? Everybody knows that one, right?" He replied in confusion.

"Henge aren't physical, at least not normally..." Kakashi replied, trying to think through the potential implications of Naruto's trick.

Shaking his head, he decided it was a matter for further contemplation in a more appropriate setting, like a meeting with the Hokage.

"Come on," he said before long, "We're still on a mission. We can figure out how you pulled that off when we get back to Konoha."

As he moved on, the rest of the group swept in behind him. Sasuke and Sakura found themselves again looking at their unpredictable teammate, wondering at the multitude of unexpected talents he possessed.

* * *

Teuchi stood glaring at the clock, he had planned it perfectly, Naruto stopped by every Friday at precisely five o'clock. And here it was five seventeen and still the boy hadn't arrived. He had revealed his plans on a strict need-to-know basis, keeping even his daughter in the dark. Yet somehow a significant portion of their regular clientele had heard and came to check out the new dishes Ichiraku's was releasing.

"Hey Dad," Ayame called quietly as she slipped into the kitchen area, "We'll start losing customers if you don't get cooking."

"Have you seen Naruto yet?" He asked, ignoring his daughter to look out the curtain yet again.

"No... Not since he left for his first C rank mission a couple days ago... Why?"

Teuchi turned to her slowly, his eyes glittering with what could be tears for the death of his perfect plan.

Ayame pat her father's arm comfortingly, "There there, look at it as a chance to practice for the customers a little. I'm sure Naruto and Ralts-chan are gonna love it, especially since you're doing this for them. Now, stop being an old softie and get started on those orders."

Teuchi swallowed his disappointment and got to work on the overflow, '_well... rats.' _he was all he could think.

Tucked away in a corner of the bar, Naruto's most enthusiastic fan sighed herself. _'So that's why Naruto-kun hasn't been around... I hope his mission goes well.' _

* * *

The first true obstacle to their progress came on the fourth day of travel, as they approached a wooden bridge spanning one of the multitude of rivers which fed into the sea that the Land of Waves depended on.

The bridge was built to be wide enough that wagons could cross, though only one direction at a time. Kakashi's experienced senses detected a subtle genjutsu over nearer end, extending a few feet in either direction into the river itself.

His pride took a small blow when they reached the limit of Ralts' range, due to the little pokemon sensing the presences instantly. She began watching the two covered points in the river, turning her head to try and keep both in sight until it became impossible. Through it all she was shivering visibly.

Kakashi was mildly annoyed, despite the obviousness of their hiding spots, it had taken him a moment or two to pinpoint their locations exactly.

Naruto pulled her from her carrier and into his arms, trying to calm her nervousness while not understanding why he himself felt so apprehensive about the bridge before them. He too watched the river carefully, trying to be ready for whatever might come.

Stepping onto the bridge, Naruto shook away the uneasy feeling when he noticed a pair of evil eyed fish watching him from the river. He hoped it was just that these were native pokemon who were feeling territorial, and that they'd be fine as long as they stayed out of the water.

Mindful of his task from Iruka, Naruto looked closely at the nearly identical animals, noting that they each had a stripe down their backs and different fin and eye shapes. The red striped fish had round eyes and long triangular fins, while the blue one had narrow eyes and jagged fins.

Each swam just far enough on opposite sides to be seen from his position near the center of the bridge, and his concern grew once more when he noticed the hateful glares they leveled at him and his teammates.

Unconsciously conforming to their training, possibly due to the aura of dread radiating from little Ralts, the genin fell into formation around their client.

Sasuke and Charmander stood ahead and slightly to either side of Tazuna, alert for any ambush in their quadrant. While Sakura and Naruto took his sides with their pokemon, Eevee sniffing the air for danger and Ralts looking fearfully between the two Basculin and spots in the river where she knew hidden enemies lay waiting.

Kakashi plodded along, a somewhat distant rearguard, nose in his book but senses alert for whatever may happen. If the hidden ninja were weak missing-nin it could be better to let his team handle things and get a free lesson out of it, but if they were notable threats looking for a valuable mark, he would be ready.

Almost as soon as he had stepped fully onto the bridge, an apparently misaligned board shimmered and became a distinct chain forged of bladed links. That was all the copycat needed to see to identify his assailants and decide to let his 'cute little genin' stretch their wings.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shrieked in horror as she watched her teacher shredded by the saw-like chain suspended between the two demonically garbed ninja who had sprung from the river.

"That's one..." the one with two horns on his headgear rasped in a menacing voice.

Sasuke had started moving the instant he heard Sakura scream, darting between her and Tazuna flipping through hand-signs, while on their client's other side Charmander dashed forward and pulled in a deep breath.

"**Fire Style: Great Fireball jutsu!**" Sasuke shouted, as he and Charmander both launched blasts of flames at their opposite opponents.

To their dismay, both balls of fire imploded in a burst of steam short of their targets. From the misty cloud flew two columns of water, which crossed the distance to their targets in the blink of an eye. _(Aqua Jet)_

Before either could react, the attacks slammed Charmander and Sasuke to the ground, the twin Basculin being revealed at the water encasing them drenched the two fire users. A deft flick of the tail and the water types launched themselves away and over the sides of the bridge.

Their path clear, the demon brothers charged in, lengths of chain dragging behind them as they aimed their next deadly embrace at Tazuna.

"No!" Sakura screamed, darting in front of the bridge builder. "Stay behind me, Eevee give us some cover!"

Eevee glanced forlornly at the nearly dirt free wooden bridge before darting at their enemies. She knew they were stronger than her, but forced out as much speed she could muster, darting around the aggressors in an attempt to stop them.

"Get ready Ralts!" Naruto called, before firing off a rapid stream of kunai at their opponents.

"Gotta do better than that, brat!" The one horned brother taunted as they batted the weapons away with their claws, taking what swipes he could at the canine as he did.

Eevee thrilled her name and pulled a little more speed, and suddenly there were two, then three, then a half dozen of the little dog pokemon. _(Doubleteam)_

The demon brothers stopped in surprise, slashing wildly until one connected with an illusion and dispelled it.

"Ignore the stupid mutt, we got a job to do!" The two horned one commanded his partner resuming his movement... or attempting to.

They managed to get two more steps before their gauntlets refused to move further, they looked back in unison to see most of the kunai that blond brat had thrown speared through their chain and into the bridge. In the second or so they watched, another half dozen lifted themselves from the ground and hammered down, further securing their favorite assassination tool.

"Fuck this! I'll kill 'em all!" The one horned Meizu bellowed, releasing his gauntlet from the chain and rushing forward again. Seemingly in response to his anger, the red striped fish leapt up and blasted a line of boiling water at the gathered genin, though it's aim was far from precise. _(Scald)_

"Damn fool..." Gozu muttered, repeating his brother's actions, but knowing their coordination was irrevocably broken, at least until Meizu's rage played out. He flashed a signal over the side of the bridge, and his blue striped partner responded by firing a line of frozen energy at the Uchiha, who had slipped too close to the edge. _(Ice beam)_

Sasuke gritted his teeth and groaned, but refused to submit to the beam that washed over him, turning his water soaked clothes to crystal.

Meizu charged the bridge builder, grabbing his pink-haired protector in his unarmored hand, he roughly tossed her away as she stabbed at him haphazardly. Rearing back with his clawed gauntlet, he hesitated at the sight of the glowing pokemon his target held uncomfortably.

Ralts smiled as she considered how like Naruto this surprise would be, thankful that the evil man was close enough to shield her friends from the worst of her new trick. With a sharp call of her name, the glow peaked and exploded out, a burst of light immensely more powerful than her teleportation's. _(Flash)_

Meizu cried out in shock as his eyes were overloaded by the assault, Ralts and Tazuna both would have been sliced to shreds if the old man hadn't stumbled backwards himself in surprise, falling first to his butt then his back when the groping claw sliced the top off his conical hat. He stayed down while Naruto hopped around the blinded ninja, leading him away and looking for an opening to end the fight.

Gozu stepped back blinking as his idiot brother's flailing almost cost him a new mask. He felt a touch on his shoulder and turned, a backhand slash leading the way.

The last thing he saw were black eyes and a scowl as Sasuke Uchiha came up from under the seeking arm and slammed his fist into, and through, the missing-nin's re-breather.

The avenger shook his now sore hand and looked towards the other brother, just in time to watch Charmander fire an overpowered Incinerate at the missing-nin's claw armor, leaving the metal a glowing mess and it's wearer shrieking and grabbing at it in vain until Naruto kicked him into unconsciousness.

"You okay Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as the girl walked over nursing her arm.

"I... I'm okay. What do we do now? I mean... with Kakashi-sensei gone..."

The group was surprised yet again when two golden streaks shot out of the river at Tazuna. They caught a glimpse of the two Basculin before the bridge builder was shoved to the ground. _(Double Edge)_

Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves, grabbed the blue Basculin and in one smooth motion clubbed the red one, sending it bouncing through the dirt away from the river. Apparently satisfied, he then tossed his impromptu bludgeon flying in the opposite direction.

"Well... Your follow through could use work, but all in all you did well. Good job." Kakashi drawled as he favored them with an eye smile.

"You're okay!" Sakura cried in relief, before realizing what just happened. "Wait a second... You left us to fight those monsters alone! You bastard!"

"Calm down," Kakashi replied, patting the air in his eternally laid back manner. "I figured you could handle it, and you did. Just remember for next time: just because you beat the ninja doesn't mean you've won the fight." He waved vaguely to the fish, one of which flashed away at that moment.

Sakura's aggression drained as her face lit up at the assessment, they had made a mistake, but Kakashi-sensei had faith in their abilities.

Kakashi looked over the group, Naruto, Ralts and Eevee seemed to have fared the best, showing minor scuffs and tears at worst. Sakura had an unpleasantly sized bruise on her arm from her landing, and Sasuke's clothes were frosted in a manner that had to be uncomfortable. The most grievous injury was to Charmander, who had taken both a direct hit and soaking, but the fire type stood proudly despite his obvious damage.

As Kakashi bound the two missing-nin, he was amused to hear Naruto reciting his first aid lessons as he put them to practical use on the injured girl and pokemon. When he glanced towards them, he noticed Sasuke slipping around a group of shrubs, pack in hand.

Once the demon brothers were securely tied to separate trees, Kakashi made his hand-signs and summoned a large dog. Lean muscled and taller on all fours than his genin, the animal looked to Kakashi with an intelligence that belied his bestial nature.

A thought brought Absol forth in a flash as well, and Kakashi turned to the pair.

"Absol, I want you to keep an eye on these two stooges while Kuniku here finds the nearest patrol squad and brings them to collect the prisoners. It shouldn't take long, but better safe than sorry. Kuniku, no need to repeat myself, eh? Go to it."

The dog released a bellowing bark that Kakashi could feel in his bones and took off at a ground eating gallop.

Walking back to the group, Kakashi smiled to see the genin and pokemon surrounding Tazuna in a defensive ring.

"Kakashi-sensei, we heard something! We think it might be some kinda huge pokemon and maybe we oughta get out of here..." Naruto said as their teacher walked up.

"Don't worry so much, that was just a friend of mine. I sent for a pickup on those two missing-nin you beat, so I expect we'll get a nice little bonus when we get back to Konoha, thanks to the reward for their capture."

"Sweet!" Naruto crowed, while Sakura grinned and cheered internally about this victory over her blonde rival.

"Missing-nin, huh? They weren't so tough." Sasuke replied with a smirk.

"True, they were only chunin at best, but that's not the major issue here... What is important, however, is figuring out why a pair of chunin ranked assassins were after a simple architect..." Kakashi replied, turning a cold glare onto Tazuna.

"I suggest you talk fast. Otherwise, we're turning around right now and dragging you with us for interrogation and possible charges against you for filing a fraudulent mission request."

Tazuna gulped at the cold promise in the jounin's eye, and explained everything.

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he looked out over the water towards the Land of Wave. Tazuna had told them of his people's desperation, of the tyrannical tycoon Gato, and of the bridge that seemed to be the last hope for his village, and maybe even his whole country. The wily old man had even slipped in a bit of a sob story about how his beautiful daughter and adoring grandson would cry their eyes out cursing Konoha the whole lives if the team abandoned the mission.

Really, as if that would have had any effect on ninja... well, the grandson part anyway. The damsel in distress card usually worked pretty well, even for a guy who'd already saved his share of princesses.

He'd let his genin make the final call though, fully aware that the only one who might dissent was Sakura. Sasuke wouldn't be happy until he found someone strong enough to beat him into the dirt, and Naruto had a hero complex bigger than his appetite.

In the end, all three supported the idea and so here they were, slipping quietly through the fog next to the biggest bridge he'd ever seen.

He sat in the back of the boat, senses stretched to their fullest, despite his apathetic appearance. The two who had attacked were former members of Kirigakure, the island village Hidden in the Mist, and they were notorious for their ability to fight in, on and with water.

He'd assigned Naruto and his Ralts to the bow of the little craft, and he kept a particularly close eye on the little pokemon, just in case she sensed something he might miss.

Sakura and Sasuke with their pokemon, one of whom was rather nervous at being surrounded by so much water, sat behind Naruto. The two kept watch as best they could in the thick fog, but their eyes kept drifting towards the massive construct, which their blonde teammate never stopped staring at.

Looking at the water beneath them, Kakashi wondered if he should get the kids started on tree and water walking exercises... they could certainly have run across faster than this boatman was going.

* * *

Team Kakashi resumed their defensive formation as soon as they landed on the large island that made up the majority of the Land of Waves. Kakashi expected it would take a day at most to cross the island from one side to the other at ninja speed, though Tazuna informed them it would only be a trip of a couple hours to reach his home on the outskirts of the former port capitol.

They had come aground at a small dock serving only the home of a reputed isolationist. The paranoid man had built his home as far as possible from the rest of the populace, and it stood testament to the sorry state of the country that even he was willing to do what he could to aid in Tazuna's quest.

They had been walking for just over an hour, and the further they got from the ocean, the more confident Kakashi became about any potentially imminent battle against another Kiri missing-nin, though he knew better than to let his guard down for an instant.

Passing through a surprisingly old forest, considering the community made their living from boats, he sensed a burst of chakra. He turned in time to see an agitated Ralts send a brace of kunai rocketing into the brush lining the path they tread upon.

Acting as if Ralts' action was a signal, Charmander blasted the pierced shrubbery with a cone of flame, reducing it to skeletal ash and revealing a terrified white rabbit. The creature darted out and away from the smoldering plant and would probably have been out of sight in seconds, had Eevee not tackled it to the ground and dragged the stunned creature back to the group.

Sakura shooed her partner away from the bedraggled animal and picked it up, petting it and cooing to it while she looked the animal over for injuries.

"What the hell was that for?" Tazuna asked loudly, the unexpected actions having dragged his worries back to the foreground of his mind.

"I dunno, she's never done that before." Naruto replied, turning to his partner. "Why'd ya attack the bunny, Ralts-chan?"

"She didn't." Kakashi replied, gesturing to the blades imbedded in the tree. None of them were less than a foot above the ground, and had impacted within inches of each other.

"If she were aiming at that _white snow rabbit_, she'd have had to hit a lot lower, and would have had to visit Kirigakure sometime between late fall and early spring just to find one. The only way one could be here this late in the summer is if it were a pet. And the only reason most missing-nin keep pets is to Kawarimi with them."

"Ralts couldn't see her target, so she aimed for where the center of mass would be for a crouching human. The person who was hiding just decided to try and escape in a way that might make us decide we were mistaken, right?" He directed that last word to the woods around them.

The reply echoed from the forest hauntingly, "Well... Can't put one over on the famous Sharingan Kakashi... can I? Not that it matters, surrender the old man and I might be willing to forget you were here and let you leave."

"You know I can't do that." Kakashi replied, signaling for the genin to return to their defensive formations.

"Then I guess I can't let you live..." The voice responded, the sinister tone sending shivers down the spines of the genin.

A mystifying fog crept over the clearing as the haunting voice continued. "Eight points... Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, lungs, heart... which will I use to kill you..."

Kakashi slid his headband up and out of the way of his borrowed eye, summoning Absol as he did. A gesture from Kakashi and the pokemon took position completing the defensive square around Tazuna.

"Let me guess," Kakashi quipped at the mist surrounding them, "Zabuza Momochi, former member of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen and unrivaled master of your village's silent killing techniques."

Unexpectedly for the genin, the reply didn't come from all around as it had before, but instead from between them and Kakashi.

"I see my reputation precedes me, good. It's so much easier to kill those who are properly terrified." Like a ghost, Zabuza revealed himself to the group, a mountainous man wielding a huge sword longer than he was tall.

The genin and their pokemon shook in fear, they could feel the man's desire to kill, thicker than the mist he'd created, filling their senses. Absol's horn-blade glowed as it prepared to attack the obvious threat, but Kakashi warned him away.

"No, you make sure the kids stay safe. I'm sure Mist's Demon wouldn't object to a little bit of one-on-one, hmm?" Kakashi commented challengingly.

Zabuza looked over his shoulder at the jounin and chuckled darkly, "Trying to keep the brats safe from the real world, eh? Fine, I'll play your game... Not like genin from that tree-hugging village of yours could keep me interested anyway."

Kakashi drew a kunai from his pouch as Zabuza pulled the massive sword from his back.

"First one to die loses," the missing-nin stated.

Kakashi nodded, then fell to the ground as a second Zabuza appeared behind him and swung an attack that would have split him in half. Rolling under the blade, he slipped smoothly back to his feet and jammed his own weapon deep into Zabuza's side, stabbing it between the larger man's ribs and puncturing his lung.

He then leapt away as the first Zabuza attacked with a heavy overhand chop, cutting a huge chunk out of his doppelganger, which collapsed into a puddle.

Kakashi charged at the first once more, leaping and palming the flat of the horizontally swinging blade while delivering a kick towards Zabuza's teeth. The missing-nin fell backwards, swinging his sword up in a truly terrifying display of strength and launching Kakashi into the air.

Turning his momentum into a flip, Zabuza jumped after his airborne prey, bringing his blade to bear yet again.

This time his slash connected, but instead of blood, simple water rained down upon the gathered genin.

**"Fire Style: Dragon Flame jutsu!" **Kakashi called from the ground, launching a serpent of living flame at the now falling Zabuza.

The intense attack closed swiftly on it's target, immolating jaws wide to consume him, when Zabuza did something unexpected.

Zabuza launched his sword through the air at the incarnate flames, the weapon spun through the attack, destroying it's already shaky cohesion in the moisture filled environment.

Before the weapon could slam into the ground at Kakashi's feet, it vanished in a cloud of smoke, replaced by Zabuza himself, who spun a savage kick into the Konoha-nin's side, launching him into the nearby lake.

The missing-nin then caught his falling blade and flashed over to Kakashi, already running through hand signs. Before Kakashi could object by word or attack, he found himself encased in a sphere of extraordinarily dense water.

"I gotta admit, you put up more of a fight than I expected." Zabuza remarked as he ran the fingers of his free hand through more signs, "shame it wasn't enough to save you or your brats, isn't it?"

Three more of Zabuza's water clones oozed their way out of the lake with deliberate slowness, menacing eyes locked on the group huddled around Tazuna.

"Run!" Kakashi yelled to the genin, "He's stuck here holding this prison, and his water clones can't move far from him!"

"He's wrong," Sasuke muttered, "if we run, it doesn't matter how far we go, or how fast we run, he will catch us eventually. Our only option would be to abandon Tazuna-san to die."

"Wh... What do we do?" Sakura asked quietly. "We can't beat him, he's way too strong..."

"We don't gotta beat him, we just gotta get him to let Kakashi-sensei go, right?" Naruto remarked, getting incredulous looks from his teammates. "Just trust me, I got an idea. You with us Absol?"

Their teacher's pokemon stared at him for a long moment before nodding decisively, and charging the water clones.

"I guess he would know what he can do to help best..." Naruto remarked dryly. He handed Sasuke a large shuriken, eying the Uchiha meaningfully. "Pick your shot, we only got one. The rest of you, follow my lead! **Taiju Kage Bushin no jutsu!**"

Sakura and Sasuke shared a glance, the latter twisting the strange seeming weapon in what would have been nervousness, had he been anyone but an Uchiha.

Ralts hopped from her partner's pack and the grand melee commenced.

Zabuza and Kakashi watched the chaos in amusement and horror respectively. Absol was the most dangerous of the group, but the three clones watched each others backs skillfully, preventing him from causing any damage sufficient to dispel them.

Naruto's clones, with Naruto himself lost somewhere in the crowd, darted around the trio dangerously, trying to create openings for Absol and the rest to use. The Zabuza clones gave him little concern, sweeping handfuls away with each swing of their oversized swords.

Sakura and Charmander kept up a constant ranged presence, while Eevee did what she could to enhance the fire-lizard's attacks, knowing she'd be little more than a target if she were close enough to bite the man. Ralts held to her standard role, salvaging the weapons Zabuza deflected and using them to attack from unexpected angles.

At one point, Absol spun a pink glowing slash, narrowly missing the clone he had apparently aimed for, though when a different clone's arms were severed from it's body almost a minute later by a blade of pink energy as it passed through that same space, the psychic attack's purpose was recognized. _(Future Sight)_

Down to two, the clones placed themselves back to back. The new positioning wasn't even a bad thing from their perceptions, it afforded them a full range in which to swing, and cut the amount of chakra Zabuza was wasting on the brats by a third.

Truth told, Zabuza was actually enjoying the show. It certainly wasn't as much fun as his graduation, but even he had to admit the brats had spirit. He hadn't missed the dark haired one's holding back, or the oversized throwing star he held, but was more curious about their plan than concerned.

Watching carefully from the sidelines, Sasuke decided things were as perfect as he could hope for. Nodding to himself, he spun the windmill shuriken, flipping it into the air above him before flashing through the seals he'd been practicing since asking Kakashi about jutsu creation.

"Horse, Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger... _Snake! _**Fire style: Flame Suppression jutsu!**_"_ Sasuke whispered too low for anyone to hear as he forced as much chakra as he physically could into the technique before firing it off. Forcing himself to complete the attack, he caught the falling shuriken and launched it after the ghostly grand fireball.

Kakashi's eye widened as his sharingan caught the technique Sasuke used, the eye automatically assessing the nearly transparent flames as they rocketed towards Zabuza's clones.

The Naruto clones cleared a space for the attacks, as the true blonde escaped via Kawarimi, appearing by Sasuke fast enough to keep his rival from eating dirt. He wasn't surprised to not receive a thank you, but he was taken aback by the sheer intensity of Sasuke's eyes as the dark boy watched the fireball's progress.

Predictably, the closer clone planted his blade to act as a shield, while the other protected their flank from the still aggressive orange-clad menaces.

When the fire-style attack slammed into his weapon, the first clone had one though flow through his aquatic head before it solidified: "Cold!"

The first warning that the last clone had that something was wrong, was the sound of shattering ice as the windmill shuriken ripped through his now frozen ally and his own torso, continuing on a straight path towards the true Zabuza.

Unnoticed by anyone, Ralts' red eyes zeroed in on a masked ninja hidden in the trees nearby, drawn by an upwelling of hope and fear which was quickly quashed into near nothingness.

Zabuza snatched the weapon out of the air, senses alert for any more tricks, like that notorious 'shadow shuriken' one that was often paired with the bulky windmills, but found no more blades to be forthcoming.

He turned his attention to the chunks of discolored ice that was his clone, wondering if perhaps Konoha had found a member of Haku's clan and spirited him away from Kiri during the blood war.

"I'll give you credit for beating my clones, weak though they were, but you don't really think you can take on the real deal and get away with it?" Zabuza called out in his grating voice.

"Huh? Oh right. Remind me to tell ya how cool that was later, 'kay Teme?" Naruto remarked before turning his attention to Zabuza.

"Well, I don't think it'll be that hard, I mean you can't really move, and I'm pretty sure ya can't let go of that water ball thing ya got Kakashi-sensei in, right? So really, you only got one arm to fight with." Naruto replied with a large grin.

"Kid, trust me. One arm is all I'll need to get rid of you brats." Zabuza replies with a sneer.

Naruto just kept grinning as the shuriken in Zabuza's hand burst into smoke, revealing yet another of the annoying blonde's clones.

"Then we just gotta get rid of that one too!" The newest Naruto exclaimed, slapping an exploding tag on the surprised missing-nin's arm and channeling chakra into it.

The clone looked surprised for a second, before vanishing in another burst of smoke as the channeled chakra refused to slow, a combination of the shadowclone tendency to expel chakra when an external outlet opens and the near limitless absorption potential of the 'variable charge' explosive tag that it had applied.

Kakashi watched in dread as the signifying icon in the corner of the tag, easily visible from his angle shifted from a meaningless symbol into the fuinjutsu mark for it's new power. Kakashi could only speculate about who could possibly have given an item jounin only carried for demolition work to someone like Naruto, but whoever it is would certainly be punished if he could find them.

Kakashi swallowed heavily, as a student of a fuinjutsu master, he knew enough to get by normally, but he had never seen the symbol now visible before in his life. He could make his own exploding tags, up to a rank ten detonation, which was more than sufficient for taking out small buildings, but this symbol could be eleven or one hundred eleven, and he really didn't want to find out from spitting distance.

While Kakashi stared mesmerized at the tag, Zabuza found himself facing an unpleasant situation... He had no choice but to release Kakashi, preferably before the automatic detonator on the tag went off. Thankfully that idiot clone dispelled and his creator didn't seem to know the remote trigger seals tied to the tag.

Zabuza decided in less than a second, releasing Kakashi from his imprisoning water and sweeping his leg through the collapsing jutsu to send the jounin flying.

Pausing just long enough to rip the tag off and chuck the now balled scrap of chakra infused paper behind him, he took off after Kakashi, but drew up short again when he realized the jounin had rolled to his feet on the water and kept running towards the genin.

Kakashi reached the genin before Zabuza regained his bearings, grabbing them and covering the whole group in an earth wall dome, just before Naruto's tag detonated.

Inside the dome, the group picked themselves up off the ground, and checked to make sure their pokemon were okay. Absol checked on Tazuna, who groggily asked where that super earthquake came from.

Outside however, Zabuza was reconsidering his future plans. At one time he really considered having a couple kids once he took over Kirigakure, and right now... not so much.

That blast had sent him skipping across the water like a stone thrown by Regirock, each bounce shredding cloth and skin more than the last. He had tried to stop himself by grabbing the water with chakra, but his inertia was too great and he ended up wrenching his arm badly and losing his grip on Kubikiri Houcho in the process.

He finally came to a stop when he slammed into a tree hard enough to knock the thing off balance. He stood, battered and bruised, one arm hanging awkwardly and began to look for his sword. He needed it, and needed to get away before Kakashi found him, he'd be way to easy a mark in this condition.

**"Earth style: Double Suicide Decapitation jutsu!"**

And apparently, he was too slow... Zabuza looked up to see Kakashi crouched before him, kunai poised to stab through his throat.

"Looks like this is the end, Zabuza. Much as I'd have preferred this to stay between you and me, I can't really say I'm sorry that my genin got involved. Shame no one's around to do you the same favor, hmm?"

"Hph! Just as long as you remember you needed saving, I can die knowing which of us is the better ninja. The famous Copy Nin, master of a thousand jutsu, rescued from the jaws of death by children. I hope that gets put in the bingo books."

"If it does, I'll be sure they add a page mentioning that those same children are the ones who truly beat you."

Zabuza only growled in response to that threat.

"Guess that ends the playful banter portion of this fight... Good bye, Zabuza."

Before Kakashi could stab forward and end the missing-nin's life, a pair of needles flashed forward, burying themselves in his neck on either side of the kunai's point.

Kakashi spun away from the entombed man and launched his kunai at the place the needles came from, instantly drawing another. Holding the kunai he had thrown, a masked ninja stood in the tree before bowing slightly.

Hearing groans of pain which swiftly gave way to silence, Kakashi darted a glance at Zabuza, who stared blankly forward, eyes wide and an expression of purest agony on his face.

"Who are you?" Kakashi demanded, fully aware of the genin moving to surround the arboreal ninja.

The masked ninja replied in a soft voice muffled to neutrality by their mask, "I apologize for my rudeness, and thank you for trapping Zabuza Momochi so handily. I have been following him for a very long time, watching for my chance to fulfill my mission so that I may return home... If you have no objections, I would like to collect the corpse for destruction and be on my way."

Kakashi eyed the apparent hunter-nin, bending down and checking his captive's nonexistent pulse.

"Dead... Very well, he's yours." Kakashi said, stepping away from the corpse.

"Thank you, your assistance has been much appreciated." The hunter replied, hopping from the tree and roughly grabbing Zabuza by the hair.

Ralts watched closely, confused by the swirl of emotions inside the masked person. Hope and fear, anger, awe and remorse, and more that she couldn't even name spiraled within this person.

Her observation was cut short when the masked ninja disappeared in a burst of wind and leaves.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei," Naruto asked when the leaves had settled. "Why'd ya just let them take the body? I mean, you said we're gettin' a reward for those other two, and this guy's gotta be worth a lot more."

"That is true, but if that hunter was dispatched to find Zabuza specifically, then he may not be able to go home until he finds him. If we were to take the kill, who knows what might happen to him... Kiri's always had a poor view of those who don't live up to their expectations." Kakashi replied sagely.

"Besides, it's not like I need the money." With a shrug, Kakashi turned and started back for the path they left during the battle.

"Hey! We're not all rich ya know! I coulda used the money for me an' Ralts-chan! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted after him.

Sakura nodded in agreement, while Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about it so much, we'll get plenty when we get back. Besides, if you can buy tags like that, you have to be pretty well set, right Naruto? Who sold you that anyway?" The boy would have thought more about his answer if he'd seen the cold glint in his teacher's eye.

"Well... Actually, I kinda... borrowed it from you, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto replied with an embarrassed laugh. "I thought it'd come in handy, and it did, right?"

"So... let me see if I have this straight. You stole an exploding tag from me, and then almost blew me up using it to save me? Against orders I might add."

"Um, yeah. But it sounds a lot worse when you put it that way..." Naruto replied hesitantly.

"Well, I thank you for your honesty. In fact, I think I'll show you a new technique... It's a bit dangerous, so you might want to put Ralts-chan down... You ready?"

"Am I? You bet!" Naruto replied excitedly, handing Ralts over to Sakura-chan.

**Konoha's Secret Taijutsu Technique: One Thousand Years of Death!"**

* * *

Chapter six... done and dusted. Hope y'all enjoyed it. This chapter holds what should be the closest to a furry Naruto to exist in this story. No offense intended to those who like that sort of thing, but it's usually done in a very hamhanded fashon.

I didn't really intend to do that in the first place, but it served a dual purpose, covering two subjects that I intended to approach in this chapter: Naruto's leaf exercises and the solidity of his Henge. That little joke seems to be the sort of thing he would try in my view, so it happened, hehe.

In regards to Sasuke's new jutsu, it will be explained in story next chapter What he did was not hyouton, but rather an elemental inversion. Rather than create heat, he made an attack that nullified it. Sasuke in canon has proven to have a talent for jutsu creation, at least in regards to the chidori, he's just got a bit of a head start here. Elemental inversion isn't going to be some new overpowering trick, given it's limitations. Only fire, air and maybe electricity lend themselves to obvious reversal. (Cold, vacuum for the former, electrical nullification for the latter)

To those curious about the future, I have made some decisions in regards to the chunin exams. Specifically, I've decided to add an OC team, and have randomized the matchups with the only rule being that teammates will not battle in the Prelims. As a result, none of the matches from cannon will be repeated, and I'm already brainstorming the fights themselves.

In regards to the OC's I will say only this:

They will not become permanent or even central members of the story.

They will not be members of Konoha, or any of the 'Big Five' villages.

They will not be insanely overpowered, and the abilities they do have will be relatively unique.

They, or people from their home may pop up now and again, but the only current plan for that isn't until post time skip, where one of the three will show up for an arc.

That should be it for the current author's note, Thank ya for reading and I hope to have the next chapter up ASAP.

-Mhyrloc

Edit: I would like to thank Animeguy1101, the Composcreator, yukicrewger2 and everyone else who helped me with the pokemon pairing project. (sorry about forgetting to add the thanks originally, I blame the holiday in a fully ironic sense.)

I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewer Roanoak for their explanation of possible Inversions for Earth and Water jutsu, I may find myself using those ideas, hehe.


	7. Leafing things half finished

Because of how long this chapter was becoming, and the fact that I don't really want to leave y'all waiting until it's done, I decided to split it into two chapters. As such, Wave won't be completed until next chapter, and a number of things I'd hoped to be in this update won't be until then, as a result it ends in something of a cliffhanger.

Hope ya enjoy the update.

* * *

Naruto lay back against the branch he rested upon and gazed up through the leaves towards the noonday sky. Kakashi-sensei had set them out here training their chakra control at the crack of dawn the day after their arrival, climbing trees without their hands, which is a trick Naruto wished he'd had back in his pranking days.

Kakashi explained the training exercise as essential for any developing ninja: by optimizing their chakra control, they would be able to maximize their ability to use jutsu, reducing wasted energy, and improving their ability to manipulate the techniques they used.

The jounin had started them on their practice and then gathered the pokemon for some 'individual training', though he declined to elaborate on what that meant. He did inform them that he would be within sight of the bridge if they needed him for anything important.

"Break's over Naruto! Back to work!" Sakura called from the nearby tree, where she stood supervising their progress.

"Alright, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called back, leaping to the ground and turning to run back up his tree.

Sakura had managed to climb her tree on the first attempt, so Kakashi had assigned her as temporary team leader for as long as they were learning the exercise. He had also tasked her with improving her own chakra reserves by walking up and down the tree until she was exhausted, then to rest up and go at it again.

To forestall any difficulties, Kakashi had the two boys his word that in circumstances where they showed a significant degree of advantage over their teammates in training, he would allow them to take the reins. His primary goal afterall was the improvement of the team as a whole.

Sakura took her role as coach very seriously, doing her best to advise the boys, and acting with almost perfect impartiality.

Sasuke, who she favored in that slight bias, mostly ignored her until he noticed that Naruto had started to pull ahead in their impromptu competition. Once he began listening to his recovering fangirl, it became an even match again.

The two had started out the exercise mostly equal, a fact which Naruto knew he could only attribute to his work with the leaves. It was obvious even to him that this was merely an amplified version of the leaf sticking exercise they had practiced in the academy, and that left him wondering what the leaf floating exercise he had been working on might relate to.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, Teme, I got a question for ya," Naruto called down to the pair who were taking their break together. Sakura might have timed it that way, but Naruto wasn't gonna raise a stink about it, he had purposely taken his up in the tree to get under Sasuke's skin.

"What is it, Naruto?" Sakura called up to him as he kept running. She had considered telling him to stay focused, but realized that they would need to be able to do this while distracted eventually anyway.

"Do you guys know where your pokemon are? I mean can ya feel 'em?"

"What kind of question is that?" Sasuke scoffed.

"No, I can't. Can you?" Sakura asked, ignoring her admired's dismissal.

"Yeah, I was just wonderin' if that's normal or if it's somethin' only Ralts an' me got." Naruto replied, gesturing in the direction he knew Ralts to be.

"Well, it might be because she's a psychic type... or it might be part of her telepathy ability. You should ask Kakashi-sensei about it." Sakura replied.

Naruto called back an affirmative, and continued his training, joined by the others once their break was over.

* * *

That night they returned to Tazuna's house where his daughter had made a delicious, if simple, meal for everyone, and the team got their first real introduction to the bridge builder's family.

Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, was a lovely woman, soft spoken and kind, though she did give her father an earful when she learned he had lied to the ninja about the true danger of their mission. She was also an amazing cook, and like many of the females Naruto encountered, found herself enamored by Ralts.

Her son on the other hand... was a brat. If asked to describe the boy, Naruto would have described him as a pessimistic little turd, too wrapped up in his own pain to see the torment he was causing his family.

Naruto could tell, even without Ralts' assistance that the little boy was being torn apart by the vicious emotional cycle he was trapped in, attempting to love and hate his adopted father at the same time, but his words were inexcusable.

Thankfully, the boy's default reaction to conflict seemed to be retreat, and he ran away crying as soon as Naruto called him out on his cowardice. To help them understand his predicament, and the state of affairs in Wave, Tazuna told them of Kaiza and the fate he eventually suffered at Gato's hands.

Naruto had to admit he felt sorry for the kid, especially after he went to try and talk some sense into the boy and found him crying, and felt the turmoil he was in through Ralts.

Naruto decided to let the boy be, and went to bed thinking about how to help the kid see that his decisions wouldn't help anyone. If you just gave up when bad things happened, then nothing would ever get better... and if this village of misery was the best they had, then Tazuna had to be the bravest person around.

He was risking his life to build not just a bridge, but a future.

It's like Hokage-jiji said in a lecture back in the academy: "Everyone dies eventually, and only the details matter once you're gone. When. How. Why. Better to live and die for a purpose, to make your life greater than the sum of your experience. Every life you touch multiplies the meaning of your existence."

Kaiza understood that. Tazuna did too, and the people helping him probably at least had an idea. Inari just didn't, not yet anyway.

Naruto fell asleep trying to find a way to demonstrate such a complexly simple concept to a child who didn't want to understand it.

* * *

Miraculous as it may seem, with Sakura's tutoring and the overly competitive natures of the male genin, it took only three days for them to effectively master tree walking. Honestly, they had a perfectly viable level of skill by the end of their second day, but Kakashi had ordered them to put it to a more practical test.

At his command, their third day had been spent running up, down across and through the trees playing a game he called 'full-contact tag'. Under the detached observation of one of the jounin's shadowclones, which he had explained would be more than sufficient so long as it didn't do much, the three chased each other in a combination chakra exercise and intense sparring session.

Naruto lost count of the number of times he had plumetted painfully that day, nor had he tried to keep track of his teammates falls. Though he did have one fond memory of Sasuke's horrified expression when Naruto had tricked him into leaping to a branch that was in actuality a henged clone... Unfortunately, Sakura had punched him so hard he had actually hit ground before the Teme, but you take your pleasure where you can.

Painful though the experience was, none of the genin could really argue against it's effectiveness. By the time they returned for dinner that night, the three bruised and nearly broken ninja had a firm grasp on how to fight in the treetops, as well as how to best avoid injuring themselves in an unexpected fall.

After dinner, Kakashi informed them that, as a reward for their unexpectedly swift training, he would teach them each a combat jutsu. Naruto and Sakura were ecstatic, it would be their first 'real' ninjutsu technique, and even Sasuke wore a smirk that was almost wide enough to be called a smile.

* * *

Unfortunately, Naruto accidentally interrupted their planned reward with an innocent question.

Rather than neglect his studies in favor of the more physical studying Kakashi put him to, Naruto had taken to rising with the sun and getting to work immediately. The past few days Kakashi had found Tsunami and a pair of clones preparing breakfast, while Naruto worked, and the previous morning a dozen more clones arrived during breakfast to drop off a string of fish they'd caught to help supplement their hosts' meager supplies.

He hadn't caught much, but Tsunami was grateful nonetheless, and Naruto had promised to do better this morning.

As a result, Naruto was up and busy by the time the rest of the household showed up for breakfast."

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, do you know much about plants and leaves and stuff?" Naruto asked at the morning breakfast table.

"Oh, I'd say I know as much as the next jounin, why do you ask?" the masked man replied, mentally amending his statement to exclude medic-nins, poison specialists and those with plant-type partners. Those were really the only ones who bothered to study plants in any significant manner.

"I don't know what this leaf is from. It looks kinda neat, but it's not anywhere in here," the blonde answered, dropping his book on the table and walking over with the item.

"Well, let me take a look then..." Kakashi said, lowering his own book and pushing his empty plate away. Tsunami clicked her tongue at him for eating too fast, while the rest of the table just wondered how he managed to do it without removing his mask.

Kakashi's eye widened as he stared at the object, a healthy seeming leaf the color of gold. This was most certainly something he recognized, as would most career ninja.

"Um... Naruto, where did you get this?" He asked.

"Ralts-chan found it for me. She's been getting me a lotta stuff lately." Naruto replied proudly.

Kakashi had noticed the little pokemon collecting various things, mostly leaves, and carrying them around in a frog shaped pouch he knew Naruto usually used as a wallet. It's size was perfect for the diminutive Ralts, and the drawstring gave her a way to carry it, looped over her arm.

"Oh," he replied. "Do you think Ralts-chan could show us where she found it?"

Naruto looked to Ralts, who nodded enthusiastically, and then back to Kakashi, who wore a smile that was somehow distressing.

"Great!" He called cheerfully, "Lead the way!"

* * *

"Stupid Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto grumbled as he crawled on his hands and knees through a field of grass that was easily chest high on him when standing. The dry brown plants were brittle and prickly and all around unpleasant to be in, plus Kakashi had ordered them to do it personally, so he couldn't use clones to search the whole place on his own. "What's so important about these leaves anyway?"

"This is your fault, Dobe!" Sasuke called from where he stood, scouring a stretch of trees bordering the field. "You just had to ask that stupid question, didn't you?"

"Oh, shut up Teme! 'least you got the easy job!" Naruto called back indignantly.

"Be quiet, both of you!" Sakura shouted, popping her head above the grass like a pink diglett. "Naruto, you know Charmander can't come in here without starting a fire, so they're looking where they can. You, me, Ralts, and Eevee should be able to cover this much fine. Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei promised that he'd teach us the jutsu, and we're supposed to meet him at noon even if we don't find the leaves, so be patient. It's only a few hours away, so let's just get the job done, okay?"

"Still don't see why we're doing this crap!" Sasuke replied, kicking a nearby tree in frustration.

"Because Kakashi-sensei promised to teach us something cool if we get two more leaves," Sakura reminded her crush.

"What could be cooler than new jutsu?" Sasuke asked derisively.

"Cooler new jutsu?" Naruto suggested loudly from his grass hole.

The two visible genin thought about that.

"He does have a point," Sakura decided at last. "Why else would he want us to have three leaves unless it had something to do with training?"

Sasuke didn't bother to reply, just blowing out an angry breath and getting back to his searching.

* * *

"Found it!" Two voices called victoriously.

Sakura popped her head up to find her male teammates glaring at each other, each holding a golden leaf in the air triumphantly.

She broke into their futile competition with a merry laugh, pulling the leaf Eevee had found for her shortly after she broke up the earlier conflict from her pouch and holding it up too.

She held her pose for a long moment, before relaxing and turning to the two boys. "Alright, that's enough you two, we have the leaves now, so we can head over early."

Naruto blinked in realization, which to Sasuke's mind gave him the win, and plastered a huge grin on his face.

"Sakura-chan's right! Kakashi-sensei's gotta teach us somethin' really great now! Dattebayo!" He scooped Ralts up and leapt from the field, easily escaping into the branches of the bordering trees. "What'cha standin' there for? New jutsu's awaitin'!"

Sakura shook her head in mock disgust as she and Sasuke, with their pokemon followed the excitable boy.

* * *

It took mere minutes to reach the bridge, and not much longer to spot their teacher perched on the edge lazing in the sun while he read his perverted novel.

"Well well well, here early I see. Must have been a pretty successful scavenger hunt, hmm?" Kakashi drawled from his seat. Unexpectedly, Absol stood nearby, his red eyes sweeping back and forth across the gathered workcrew.

The pokemon initially made the villagers uncomfortable, but the it's strange awareness for dangerous situations had prevented a number of accidents since Kakashi's arrival, many of them apparently originating from clumsy sabotage attempts. Needless to say, the pokemon was now as welcome as any of the ninja.

"You bet!" Naruto replied with his typical bravado. "We found 'em easy!"

Kakashi slipped his book in his pouch as he turned to face his students and settled in more comfortably. "Apparently so, but put them away for now and take a load off, it's lecture time." He smiled as they did, Naruto grumbling as expected.

"Okay, who wants to tell me what chakra is?" he asked, looking over the trio.

"Chakra is the mixture of physical and mental energies which ninja use to power jutsu. " Naruto replied, with the almost word for word definition.

"Very good Naruto," Kakashi replied, "but now for a more difficult one... Who has chakra?"

"Ninja!" Naruto replied instantly.

"And?" his teacher asked, receiving a blank stare from the blond genin.

"Every human has chakra, most don't know how to access it though." Sakura responded, "Only ninja, monks and samurai are known to have the ability to manipulate chakra."

"Close, but still not complete. You want to give it a go, Sasuke?" Kakashi continued to Sakura's surprise.

When the Uchiha refused to answer, Kakashi explained for their benefit.

"All living things produce chakra in various amounts. Humans and pokemon produce the most, and are the only known creatures capable of manipulating it. In fact, it's said that jutsu were originally inspired by pokemon. Simple animals and plants also have chakra, though to a much lesser degree."

"Next question: how many chakra elements are there? Think carefully now. Sasuke, since you refused to answer the last question, you get to answer this one."

The avenger glowered at his sensei, before grudgingly responding. "Five. Fire, earth, water, wind, and lightning."

"Again, close but no goal. There are sixteen true elements and one neutral, which we refer to as Normal, because that's what the pokemon terminals call it."

The five you named are called the 'Core elements' because they make up the vast majority of jutsu commonly found in the world. In fact, some elements cannot even be used without extensive training, though the right lineage can make it a bit easier. An example would be the Shodaime and his mastery of the plant element, or Mokuton."

The core elements are more properly known as: Fire, Water, Electricity, Rock, and Flying. While the alternate elements are Ground, Ice, Psychic, Grass, Steel, Dragon, Dark, Poison, Ghost, Bug and Fighting."

"Almost invariably, when a human is born they are the neutral element. As they grow, they tend to take on a new element based on their personalities, bloodlines and natural inclinations. Of course, just as a pokemon can change elements as it grows and evolves, humans can do the same as they age."

"Are there any questions so far?" Kakashi asked, checking to see if his students were following the somewhat advanced lesson.

"What effect does a ninja's elemental nature have?" Sakura asked.

"Often, it will manifest in subtle ways. A steel type for example will usually have a natural talent with weapons, while fighting types tend to excel in hand to hand combat. A more indirect example would be psychic types, who often possess an uncanny understanding of the thoughts and motivations of those around them."

"What's your element, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I'm a ground type by nature, which gives me something of an advantage in certain situations. When I concentrate, I can use my affinity to the land beneath me to keep track of any opponents on or in the ground, and I am able to learn and use ground based jutsu easily," the teacher replied.

"How do you learn what your nature is?" Sasuke asked is his typically blunt manner.

"I'll get to that in a bit." Kakashi replied with a smile. "First, I want you to tell us about that freezing fireball attack that you used on Zabuza."

Sasuke grimaced, but nodded. "Back in Konoha... I started looking into creating my own jutsu... I hadn't thought of it until I saw the Dobe working, but I realized it would be the perfect way to surprise... Him. If I can create jutsu that he's never seen, secret techniques that only I know... then that's my best chance. I know I promised you I wouldn't experiment, but I had already figured that one out by accident."

"I found that if I sent chakra into a jutsu while holding the snake seal, which was supposed to reduce a jutsu's power, it would turn my fire cold. I practiced with it until I was sure I could do it in combat, but it's pretty exhausting."

Kakashi nodded in response, "That's not surprising. Elemental inversion is a known technique, but not one most ninja learn before becoming special jounin. Be glad you weren't using an electrical jutsu, or it could have cooked you alive. There are suicide techniques known by the spy divisions that teach such things as a rule."

Kakashi sighed, "I guess I've got no choice though. If you're already testing your limits in that regard, then I'll have to teach you properly... But not until we get back to Konoha. From now on, no dangerous training on your own, and that goes for all three of you."

Settling his one-eyed glare on the genin, he waited until he had their promises before he moved on.

"Now, I'm sure you all are eager to learn that new jutsu I promised you, yes? Well, we'll get to that very soon... but first, a magic trick!"

Kakashi retrieved the golden leaf he had taken from Naruto that morning and held it up before them between two fingers.

"Now you see it... and now you don't" Kakashi intoned as the leaf crumbled to dust right before their eyes.

"How'd ya do that?" Naruto asked, poking the small pile of dust in front of his teacher.

'Pretty easy actually," Kakashi chuckled. "You see, those leaves you found are called 'Sogen Handou'. Though our earliest records just call them 'Shiny Leaves'. They start out as part of normal plants, but due to some quirk of nature, they retain the chakra they possessed long after they fall from their tree. Somehow the chakra keeps them from decaying, though since they're no longer part of their plant, they lose their chlorophyll and fade, most often to yellow."

"Another aspect they possess is that they're one of the few items that pokemon, both wild and partnered, desire. Wild pokemon have been known to collect and hoard the leaves in their nests, and partnered pokemon will often gather any they happen to find, though they rarely use them for anything."

"What makes them valuable for ninja however, is that the chakra within the leaf quickly loses it's innate Grass element and becomes highly reactive. If a ninja, such as myself, channels their own chakra into it, the leaf will react and show what their innate element is. Most ninja use the cheaper chakra paper we humans create by saturating a growing tree with chakra, but for those who can afford it, Sogen Handou are much better."

"How valuable are they?" Sakura asked curiously, cradling her own leaf as if it had suddenly become fragile.

"The average price of one leaf would pay for most D rank missions easily," Kakashi replied. "Keep in mind, I mean the whole mission, not just your own pay." he clarified, noticing the unimpressed expressions they wore.

"Most ninja don't get the chance to learn their elemental affinity until after their first chunin exam attempt, which usually makes it pretty obvious how far a person can go as a ninja. Some do manage to exceed all expectations, or fall below their potential, but it's easy enough to save and buy basic chakra paper on their own, if a ninja so chooses."

"Of course... if a smart sensei and his trio of lucky genin manage to somehow find some while on a mission..."

The children's faces lit up just as he expected.

"So, this is how we're gonna do it. First, we find your elements. Then I teach you a jutsu appropriate to it, assuming I know one that wouldn't be suicidal for a genin to learn."

All three lifted their leaves at once.

"Hold it!" Kakashi called harshly, before the trio could get ahead of themselves. "I want you to go one at a time so I can identify the reaction properly. Feel free to decide between yourselves who gets to go first."

"So... how do we do this?" Naruto asked, turning his gaze between Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke just smirked, holding his hand out and channeling chakra before the Dobe could protest.

A ripple of energy flowed from Sasuke's fingers and up the leaf, darkening it from it's origional golden hue to a deep shimmering red. As it darkened, it also hardened, a short spined ridge raising from the leaf's central vein until it looked somewhat similar to a fish scale.

"Interesting..." Kakashi muttered once the leaf settled into it's new form. "So, who's next?"

"Wait! Aren't you going to tell me what this means?" Sasuke protested.

"In time. Patience is a virtue you know." Kakashi replied with a smile.

"Ladies first... er second, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, gesturing for the girl to proceed.

"Thanks," she responded, holding her own leaf towards her sensei and channeling.

A much weaker pulse flowed through hers, and the top half of the leaf fluttered to the ground as the rest liquefied.

"Does that mean I'm a water type Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, wiping her wet hand on her shorts.

Kakashi handed her the rest of the leaf she'd dropped, "Try it one more time, I want to check something."

"Okay..." She replied, channeling her chakra again. This time, when the leaf dissolved the falling liquid spilled into Kakashi's hand.

He looked at it critically, then poured the meager measure of dirty water to the ground.

"Not quite Sakura, but we'll get to that in a bit. Naruto, you're up."

Naruto shifted Ralts in his arms and held out his leaf, he pulsed his chakra into it and it exploded into a whirlwind of flying scraps. The miniature twister spun for a few moments before dispersing in a scatter of leaf fragments.

"Cool!" Naruto cheered, "that's somethin' good, right?"

"Well, it is interesting." Kakashi replied, rising to his feet and beginning to pace leisurely. "Okay... Somewhat surprising results, though I can work with them... mostly."

"Naruto, you are a flying type, or as it's more commonly known: A wind element user." Kakashi said as he began his explanation of their results.

"Cool! Does that mean i'll learn too fly like a pokemon?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"I'm afraid not," He chuckled, "It's called that because almost every pokemon who can use flying type techniques has wings, or is otherwise aerial. It's one of the few that are known more commonly by their ninja title than their pokemon one, simply to reduce confusion."

Naruto's face fell a little, it would have been so cool to be able to fly around like some sort of super-ninja.

"The good news however, is that while one of the rarer ninja elements in Konoha, there are quite a few jutsu to choose from that I can teach you."

Turning from the boy's renewed enthusiasm, Kakashi looked to Sakura. "I have good news and bad for you. The good news is that you're the only one on the team to possess a dual elemental affinity, the bad is that they're both rather weak right now. You currently lean towards the water and ground elements, which poses a question for you: Which element would you favor if given a choice?"

Sakura's expression turned thoughtful as she pet the Eevee in her lap, She considered it carefully, water was widely considered a well balanced element, while she knew from watching Kakashi-sensei that his ground techniques were tricky if used right... She couldn't decide, so chose to ask her sensei's opinion.

"Um... What would you choose Kakashi-sensei?" She asked somewhat hesitantly.

"I wouldn't," Kakashi replied with a smile, he'd already decided on a good technique for the girl, and had only posed the question to see her response.

Leaving the dumbfounded girl, he turned to Sasuke. "You're the tough one," he said seriously. "Do you know what that is?" he asked, pointing to the transformed leaf the boy still held.

Sasuke shook his head, deciding not to reply to the obviously leading question.

"It's a scale, a dragon scale to be precise. You, Sasuke, are aligned to the very rare dragon type."

Sasuke's eyes flashed with pride, and his smirk grew even wider. Sakura was a dual element, but both were common, even among the Uchiha the dragon type was almost unheard of. The prodigious Itachi had only been a dark element.

"Now for the bad news... I will not teach a genin a dragon type move. They're too unpredictable in human hands, and the few I know are either too dangerous to use except in the most dire of circumstances, or require so much chakra it would kill you or Sakura if you even attempted them."

Sasuke's smirk fell into a grimace at the reminder that the Dobe had such high chakra reserves.

"However... because I decided to teach you each a specific technique rather than the generic ones I had initially chosen, I will offer you a concession. You may pick one of the core elements, and I'll teach you a jutsu of that type."

Sasuke barely had to think about it, he already had access to more fire type jutsu scrolls than most ninja, and the Uchiha reliance on those techniques left them with an inborn dislike for the water element. That left Rock, Flying and Electricity.

Flying was out, the Dobe would be learning that, and the last thing he needed was that idiot dragging down his training, or Kakashi ordering them to train together.

Rock or Electricity...

"I choose electricity." Sasuke replied, trying to maintain his stoicism, despite his excitement. Sure, Kakashi wouldn't teach a genin a move that his type favored, but the chance to manipulate a primal force like lightning? How could he choose otherwise?

"Alright then!" Kakashi replied with deceptive cheer, "Let's get training!"

The rest of the day was spent with Kakashi teaching and demonstrating the genin's new techniques.

Sasuke had been taught a technique called "Raiton: Suji Jiinto" a short range jutsu designed to numb muscles and weaken opponents rather than kill them outright. Kakashi had implied that the technique could be channeled through metal weapons such as kunai and senbon, but that Sasuke would have to prove a firm grasp in the basics before he was willing to teach that.

Naruto had been assigned the "Futon: Reppusho" or Gale Palm. It's range wasn't impressive, but it could be used with a single handsign and some chakra manipulation. The unpredictable ninja was already experimenting with his clones to find viable combination attacks for the jutsu. Kakashi was surprised just how easily Naruto managed to get the jutsu down, even if he had chosen it specifically for it's forgiving learning curve. He had eventually decided the boy just had a really high wind affinity and let it be.

In order to help the girl benefit from her dual natures, Kakashi taught Sakura "Doton: Doryuheki", the mud wall technique. She was disgusted to learn the technique required her to spit mud, but was intrigued when Kakashi explained to her that with enough practice and control, she could regulate the amount of each element in the jutsu. In theory it could be either a ground or water technique, with the ability to be used for offense or defense, depending on how she chose to manifest it.

So, despite her misgivings, she practiced diligently, though she kept her canteen of water nearby and dinner that day was far too gritty for her tastes.

* * *

On the way back to Tazuna's home, Naruto told the old man about the leaves, obviously bragging about his most recent step along the path to Hokage-ship. Kakashi had simply wondered aloud that they had managed to find so many in one day, when most ninja went years without stumbling across one of the coveted items.

The bridge builder's response had been to point out the lack of both pokemon and normal animals in their country... a lack stemming from Gato's tyrannical reign.

It seemed that when the ports shut down and most of the large fishing vessels were crippled or destroyed by 'freak accidents', many people turned to the domestic animals for food. When those inevitably ran out, a few turned to the local pokemon as an option. Though their leaders strongly advised against it, a few months after the real hunger began, the dissenters acted.

A few of the creatures died, brought down by the weight of numbers and the unexpectedness of the attack, but the vast majority simply left. Overnight the entire island's population of pokemon just disappeared. With one of his major worries gone, Gato's grasp on the island tightened.

Not understanding the pokemon, he had been leery of angering them or their mythical leaders, but with them gone he only had to deal with humans. And he had a lot of experience controlling that particular species.

After nearly two years of his influence, during which Tazuna and his supporters scrimped, saved and gathered everything they could to build the bridge, things had come to a head. Tazuna was convinced that the bridge was the key to their future. It's completion would free them, but it's destruction would damn them just as surely.

Naruto had sworn to make the tyrant pay for his crimes, and his team didn't even think to argue against the sentiment. The boy had seemed pensive through dinner, and even Inari's pessimism didn't solicit a response beyond the occasional grunt.

Naruto and Ralts had left after the meal, calling that they were going to train. Kakashi saw no reason to object, and let them be.

Under the light of the full moon, Naruto punched and kicked his frustration out. Firing his new jutsu sporadically into the woods around him at imagined foes. The glint of reflected moonlight from the base of a nearby tree caught his eye, and Naruto found his mood lifted by a much happier idea.

* * *

A kimono clad figure walked slowly through the woods, far from the homes of any of Wave's so-called honest inhabitants.

Haku sighed as she collected the herbs that her master would need to hasten his recovery. Forcing him into a false death had been stressful for his damaged body, and even with Gato's supposed support, it was difficult to gather sufficiently healthy food in this impoverished country.

Her thoughts strayed to how similar the lives led by those young people in the nearby village were to her own childhood, after her father's enraged attack.

Kiri had always held tightly to it's isolationist policies, believing itself to be threatened constantly by their continental neighbors. Not so long ago, the xenophobic beliefs reached their peak, and a bloody war erupted.

The leadership of Kirigakure, decided that only those with Water or Steel natures could be proper members of their country. These elements were the ones represented by the sacred temples located within the territory that made up the land of Mists, and formed the two sides of the Mizukage's elite guard.

The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were the blades that bore his will and delivered judgement on guilty and innocent alike. While the Seven Deadly Tides used their mastery of ocean jutsu to protect and hide the village from any who might seek to harm it.

Once that decision was made, it was inevitable that those who bore natures that differed from that limited standard would be persecuted. Vast numbers of ninja, including entire clans were attacked and obliterated, many of which had arrived during the more gregarious reign of the prior Mizukage, who had happily accepted refugees from the continental battles of the third Shinobi war.

Haku's mother, or more accurately her mother's parents, had moved to Kiri in pursuit of peace following the tragic events. Their ancestors, possibly even as recently as her great grandparents, had been ninja of some note, though their family had abandoned the lifestyle upon their arrival in the Land of Water.

All that had come to an end when Haku's strong elemental affinity had manifested unprovoked. It didn't take long for her father, a consummate Kirigakure loyalist, to find out and take it upon himself to end the threat to his sovereign village's purity.

Haku's mother had given her life to protect the girl, and in a fit of panic Haku had ended the man's life.

She was old enough to understand that her only hope of survival was to disappear, so she ran. She lived on the streets for most of a year, stealing what she needed to survive and growing more and more dejected.

It was then that Zabuza-sama found her... Returned to her the life that his former master's orders had stolen away. She had sworn to serve him until death... but this place brought back so many memories. She couldn't help but see herself or those few older orphans who had taught her to survive in the ragged children begging on corners.

She would be happy when Zabuza-sama broke away from that disgusting little toad they worked for, and put this sad country behind them.

Haku perked up as she heard a rhythmic growling coming from not too far away. Deciding to investigate, she slipped closer, prepared for whatever she might encounter.

Collapsed at the base of a tree in one of the few fields she knew of on the island to harbor echinacea flowers was the blond haired boy she had seen with Kakashi. He was sprawled out, using the odd backpack he had worn as a pillow. Using his belly as it's own pillow, the tiny green haired pokemon was curled up beside him, with the boy's arm protectively wrapped around it.

The growling she had heard seemed to be the boy's soft snoring, and Haku found herself torn. She wanted to laugh at the absurd and heartwarming discovery, but part of her knew she should do what she could to advance Zabuza's agenda.

This boy had been instrumental in defeating her master, and surely he would desire the boy's elimination...

Before she could decide fully on her course of action, she felt eyes upon her. Looking around, she met the melancholy red eyes of the little pokemon. She saw in those eyes a level of understanding that frankly worried her.

By the time she tore her gaze from the pokemon's, the boy was already stirring. And she decided her chance to catch him unawares had passed... but perhaps her master would be satisfied with information?

The boy hadn't given her the impression of great intelligence, and surely his disappearance would put Kakashi on his guard, possibly even cause him to withdraw... And Zabuza had enjoyed his fight against the Copy-cat.

Yes, Haku decided, Zabuza-sama would rather she not risk his rematch if avoidable. She put on a friendly smile and walked forward.

* * *

Naruto woke to a strange feeling, as if from a dream that was creepy but not as bad as the time he dreamed he'd gone to Ichiraku's to find out they gave up ramen to focus on gyoza and yakitori.

Naruto pushed himself up to a sitting position, pulling Ralts into his lap as he did. Noticing the way his partner was staring intently, Naruto turned his own attention towards their visitor.

"Good morning," the lovely young lady called kindly as she stepped out of the dappled woods and into the clear morning sunlight of the field.

"Hiya!" Naruto called cheerfully, he felt a bit of unease towards the visitor, but dismissed that as a result of his normal habit of avoiding strangers in Konoha.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, but I'm afraid I need to gather some of these herbs for a friend." She explained, gesturing to the scattered bunches of purple flowers, while keeping a cautious distance.

Naruto looked at the plants and back at the girl, who had yet to move, in puzzlement. "Um... okay?"

"Ah, you don't object to my being here... do you Ninja-san?" Haku asked hesitantly. She had often found it necessary to play the role of helpless civilian for her master, and often the best way to lower a prideful ninja's guard was to appeal to their ego.

Unfortunately, she misjudged her current target.

"Why would I object, nee-chan?" The boy asked in obvious confusion. "My name's Naruto, by the way, an' this here's Ralts-chan. Say 'Hi' Ralts-chan."

The little pokemon waved and chirped her name, though her eyes seemed more suspicious than welcoming.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, my name is Haku," She replied, bowing respectfully to the unusual ninja.

Naruto rose and bowed in return, then watched as she moved over to kneel at the base of one of the flowering plants and dug at it's base with a small trowel.

He watched as she dug out a length of root and sliced off a fair portion, placing it in her basket and repeating the process twice more on a different side of the plant, before rising and moving to the next, Naruto following like a curious shadow.

"Hey, nee-chan... What'cha doin' that for?" He asked after she had cut another piece.

"I'm collecting it to make an herbal decoction for my friend." She explained, "These plants are known as Echinacea, or coneflowers. When prepared properly they can have a number of medicinal properties, particularly in the prevention of sickness or disease."

"Cool, so it's like first aid for colds and junk, right?" Naruto clarified, to which Haku nodded. "Neat, Iruka-sensei's teachin' me a bit about first aid, but I haven't learned the plant stuff yet."

Haku sent the boy a smile, "It can never hurt to know how to heal, and even the little things can mean the difference between life and death for those precious to you."

Naruto nodded somberly, settling next to Haku and digging on the side opposite to her and she collected her second root from this plant. Ralts stood beside Naruto, trying to look relaxed while still being ready in case the unmasked hunter-nin proved to be a danger.

They worked in silence through another plant, before Naruto spoke again. "You said you're gonna make a de... decoction outta these, right? What's that mean anyway?"

Haku laughed lightly, "Well... A decoction is sort of like a strong tea. It's not difficult, though I'll have to dry the roots first, hopefully he'll give me some time before he gets himself injured again. He hates drinking it too."

"Oh..." Naruto replied, looking at the small smile on the girls face. "Like that huh? I wish Sakura-chan would do nice stuff like that for me some time."

Haku whipped her head back to the blond, pink staining her cheeks prettily. "It's not like that! Za... my friend... we're not like that. He's... he's like a father to me. He's done so much for me over the years... the least I can do is care for him when he's unwell... Wouldn't you do the same for your precious people?"

Naruto grinned, as he thought about his precious people. A number that had doubled in the last few months. He rested his hand on Ralts' head and ruffled her hair, "Yeah, the same and more," he replied warmly.

Haku smiled at him again, "You'll be a great ninja someday," she said softly, "I can feel it."

The two spent the morning collecting herbs, Haku had even taught him how to identify plants useful for simple cures. Feverfew, who's leaves could be chewed to alleviate headaches, Aloe to help sooth burns, and an enormous number of simple teas to help against an array of conditions.

To Haku's surprise, Naruto showed her a plant she hadn't had the pleasure of encountering before. Deep in the heart of a bush, he found a golden leaf, which he gave her as 'a gift for his newest friend'. She had heard of the valuable items before, but never had she imagined someone she had just met would be so generous.

When the sun was high and Naruto's stomach protested his lack of a breakfast, the two parted ways, Naruto to return to Tazuna's home, and Haku to meet her master and deliver the information her new... No, she couldn't call him her friend... not when she was planning to betray him so soon... She hoped her master would be satisfied with the information she held... she really didn't want to see the cheerful blond die.

* * *

Naruto was practically floating back to Tazuna's place, he'd gotten a lot of training in and made a new friend. Plus, he'd found more leaves over the night, Enough for his old academy buddies and their teams.

He grinned to himself as he imagined Kiba, Chouji, and Shikamaru's faces when he gave them their gifts. Kiba in would turn positively green when he heard that Team Kakashi had a C rank before his.

He pulled the leaves out one last time, counting them happily. Six... well, seven if he counted the one he found helping Haku, but he already gave that one to her.

Ralts put an end to his distracted imaginings by grabbing his face and turning him to face her, an annoyed expression on her's.

"What's wrong Ralts-chan?" He asked in surprise.

Ralts hopped over her partners shoulder and to the ground, where she pointed back the way they came and reiterated her name, waving her arms urgently.

"What's wrong? Is Haku in trouble?" Naruto exclaimed, looking that way in worry.

"RALTS!" the pokemon called with unusual sternness, forcing Naruto's attention back to her.

The pokemon looked around, eventually gesturing towards a nearby tree, where a large chunk of loose bark ripped itself off and floated to her.

Ralts pointed back towards where they left Haku, and positioned the wooden slab over her face. Another gesture sent a pair of nearby twigs spearing towards Naruto, where they poked into his neck.

Ralts let the impromptu mask fall as she felt his understanding. Naruto stood, pale and worried, with one hand to his neck.

"Are you sure?" He asked, and Ralts could feel him hoping for a denial. When she nodded, he sighed and dropped to the ground heavily.

Ralts hopped over and into his lap, offering what comfort she could to mitigate the bad news.

"If Haku is the hunter that took Zabuza away, why would she still be here? Didn't Kakashi-sensei say she had to take Zabuza so she could go home?" He wondered aloud, his face scrunching up in confusion.

He rubbed Ralt's head as he talked quietly, attempting to talk through his problems the way Iruka-sensei had taught him.

"Okay, so Haku is the hunter ninja, and she said she was taking Zabuza's body away so she could go home. That was days ago though, so she should be pretty far away by now... but instead she's here helping her friend get better."

"I got it!" He decided at length. "She came here with a partner, cause Zabuza was so strong, and her friend got sick before they found him! Then we showed up and beat him for her, so she's stayin' til her friend gets better and they can leave."

Ralts looked at her partner skeptically, but couldn't really voice her own opinion, despite multiple attempts to do so.

Naruto hopped to his feet, and started for the village once more. "Iruka-sensei's right, this stuff is easy. Dattebayo!"

* * *

"I'm home," Haku called, entering the hidden treehouse Zabuza had built for them, deep in the woods not far from where Team Kakashi had come ashore in Wave.

"You're late," her master growled, from where he exercised in the large main room.

"And you're supposed to be resting," she chided.

Zabuza shot her a sour look, but settled onto the nearby couch anyway. "What kept you?" he asked gruffly.

"I went out this morning to collect the ingredients for your healing tea," she ignored his bitter grimace as she set water boiling and began preparing the herbs herbs. "I met someone rather interesting..."

Haku hesitated, worrying how her master might take the information, but continued quickly, Zabuza-sama disliked indecisiveness.

"I came across the blonde boy from Konoha. He was sleeping in a field where some of the plants I needed were growing."

"And?" Zabuza prompted, "Did you kill him?"

"No, Zabuza-sama. I'm sorry, but..." Haku began to explain.

"Good. I admit, the kid surprised me, but the last thing I want right now is one of Kakashi's brats going missing." Zabuza grabbed a slightly wrinkled apple out of a fruit bowl Haku kept on the end table. "Knowing him, he'd either go on the warpath and kill Gato before we get paid, or he'll pull back to Konoha and I'll never get my rematch."

Zabuza flexed his healing muscles with a grunt and the fruit crushed with an unsatisfying squelch. "Almost back to one hundred percent... Then I get my rematch, finish this mission and take that bastard for all the cash we can."

"I hate what he's doing to this place." Haku replied sadly.

"Yeah, I know what you mean... but this is the best paying mission we've been offered in a long time. So we get it done, and if he doesn't have something just as profitable lined up, we'll be gone. With luck we'll get a mission to take him out someday, but don't count on it."

She brought him his tea and stepped back, waiting silently as her master pulled down his bandages and drank half the cup in one gulp.

"Zabuza-sama... may I make a personal request?" Haku asked, hesitating noticeably, despite her master's preferences.

Zabuza stared at her a long moment, before sighing. "Fine, ask."

"Um... When you fight Kakashi... I assume that I will be preventing his genin from interfering this time..."

Zabuza suppressed a groan as he saw where this was going.

"I would like permission to let them live..."

Zabuza leaned back and narrowed his eyes as he thought. He wouldn't mind kicking that blond halfway to Suna, just on principle, but it was obvious who she was really asking for. His fingers drummed on the sofa's arm, he noticed Haku fidgeting with something behind her back.

"What's that?" he asked, hoping it wasn't more of her herbal remedies.

"It... it's a gift." Haku answered, blushing lightly as she showed him the leaf.

Zabuza immediately recognized the leaf for what it was, "A gift?"

"From Naruto... because we're... because he thinks we're friends." Haku clarified.

Zabuza released the suppressed groan, with interest. Well, nearly ten years of living on the run hadn't let the poor girl make many friends. Hell, if it weren't for her pokemon, she'd probably be some borderline psychopath by now.

"Fine," Zabuza decided at length. "You handle the kids however you want. As long as they stay out of my fight and the bridge builder goes down, that's all that matters."

"Oh, thank you, Zabuza-sama!" Haku replied beaming. "I'll do my best!"

"Just so the job gets done." Zabuza responded, waving the issue away carelessly.

Haku stood there, smiling and staring at the evidence of her first friendship. She hoped her recent actions had made up for her earlier deception, at least a little bit.

"Hey, if you're gonna just stand around looking creepy, get lunch started. I need something to clean the taste of this crap out of my mouth." Zabuza ordered, finishing off his drink.

"Of course, Zabuza-sama!" Haku replied with a bow, before rushing to the makeshift kitchen.

"And while you're working, tell me the rest. I know you didn't spend all morning picking flowers with the brat, tell me what you learned."

Haku immediately began explaining. Naruto didn't seem to know much about Kakashi, except that he was lazy and liked to read porn, but he had explained how 'Sasuke-teme did that cool iceball thing'. All in all, Zabuza didn't gain much of use from her story, but he had to admit that it had been years since he'd seen her so animated.

Haku finished preparing their meal in short order, a thin but tasty fish soup. Zabuza would have preferred something with a bit more bite to it, but even with the sparse pickings in the markets, he refused to stoop to petty thievery.

Haku frowned as she remembered the fate of their other two allies. Gozu and Meizu had never really warmed up to the girl, but they had been comrades of a sort. Her master hadn't been very upset to hear of their capture, since he'd been having difficulties of late keeping the demon brothers reined.

After their meal, Zabuza stretched out on the sofa as Haku left to clean up their dishes with a convenient suiton jutsu. Haku hummed softly to herself as she worked, it truly was a wonderful day.

Unfortunately, their peace was shattered when the door slammed open and Gato's two samurai flunkies stepped in and to either side, hands on their swords and smirking evilly.

Between the two strode the miniature maniac himself, a perpetually angry scowl plastered on his face.

"Well well well," Gato sneered. "Some big bad Demon of the Mist. First your useless little assassins get creamed by a bunch of kids, then you go down like a cheap geisha. What the hell am I paying you for?"

Zabuza continued to lay back, completely ignoring his ranting employer.

"Give me one good reason to not turn your miserable asses over to KIri right now!" Gato demanded, irritated by their complete disregard for his authority.

"I'll give you two," Zabuza replied blandly. "First, we haven't failed. And in fact, we aren't going to. If by some miracle the bridge builder manages to live long enough to finish his little project... we'll just destroy that too. I'm sure you're the kind who'd appreciate that scenario."

Gato's scowl didn't relent, though he had indeed considered that course of action. The opportunity to crush what little rebellious hope this pathetic little country held. He had eventually dismissed it, unwilling to risk the Land of Fire taking an interest in the bridge upon completion.

To his dismay, the larger country's attention seemed inevitable at this point.

"And the second?" Gato prompted sourly.

Before the question was even completed, Zabuza had Kubikiri Houcho pressed against the short man's chest. Gato gulped nervously and felt his suit jacket split from the pressure against the blade.

"The second..." Zabuza growled, turning his head to look at Gato for the first time. "Is that you never, ever, threaten a missing-nin unless you have the muscle to back it up."

Gato risked a glance toward his bodyguards, but the two ronin had been effectively disabled by the missing-nin's young ally. To their credit, the pair had managed to draw their blades, but the girl had them trapped between the walls and their own partner's weapon in such a way that a movement from any of the three would end with two dead men and a blood spattered kunoichi.

Gato returned his gaze to Zabuza's dead-eyed stare and nodded. "Fine, one last shot. But screw this up and our contract is over. I'm paying for results, not excuses."

Zabuza withdrew his zanbato, and Gato spun on his heel and strode angrily to the door, uselessly straightening his ruined jacket on the way.

"Don't worry," Zabuza chuckled. "Once I take Hatake out of the picture, the bridge builder is as good as dead."

Gato's foot hit the floor with a loud thump as he stopped abruptly. "Hatake?" He asked, half turning back towards his theoretical employee. "Would that be Kakashi Hatake?"

Zabuza blinked as he rose to a sitting position. Gato could probably list every significant political figure and merchant in the elemental kingdoms, but he was almost completely incompetent on the subject of ninja. That he even knew the jounin's name was unusual enough to spark Zabuza's interest.

"Yeah, that's the guy protecting the target." Zabuza replied.

"He didn't happen to bring anyone with him by chance?" Gato asked, turning to fully face Zabuza and Haku, who had stepped back when their visitors decided to leave.

"Yeah, three brats. Why?" Zabuza narrowed his eyes in confusion. Gato was getting at something... but what?

Gato's scowl bloomed into a smile that was, if anything, more vicious and cruel than his standard expression. "Describe them," he commanded.

"The girl's got pink hair, and the two boys are blond and black haired. You're gonna have to be more specific if you want to know something in particular."

"Does the blond one have any marks on his face?" The midget asked, abandoning the thin pretense of simple curiosity.

"Yeah, three scars on each cheek, kinda like whiskers or something." Zabuza saw Haku go stiff, she was vocal in her mistrust of the tiny tyrant, and him expressing interest in her new friend couldn't be a good thing.

"I want him." Gato stated, back to his usual arrogance. "Dead or alive, I don't care. Just bring the blond one to me with the bridge builder's head and I'll increase your pay twenty percent. No negotiations."

"That's a lot of cash for some nobody genin," Zabuza replied cautiously.

"Business expense." Gato answered shortly. "A... trade partner of mine has an interest in that particular ninja."

Gato left the building chuckling darkly. It seemed providence favored him, the message from his contact in Konoha had arrived mere weeks before and had been largely ignored. The note had promised a considerable reward, but Gato was certain he could arrange for something just a little bit better.

Gato followed the barely visible path as he imagined the business possibilities in the Land of Fire... With the the support he could extort from Yokujuu, he could expect trading opportunities for his less legitimate products to broaden.

Back in the hideout, Haku stared at the floor in despair. "What will you do, Zabuza-sama?" she asked quietly.

"I haven't decided yet," Zabuza admitted.

"Very well. I believe I shall go train now." Haku replied tonelessly before leaving the room silently.

Zabuza lay back again and ran a hand through his spiky hair. Things were so much simpler back when he was alone... He certainly didn't have to worry about what a girl like Haku was doing now. 'Training' she called it, he knew he was just trying to convince herself that killing her new friend was necessary.

Was it though? He hadn't agreed to that part of the job yet...

But it was a lot of money...

Zabuza groaned again and briefly wished he was back in the swordsmen. Back then his toughest decision had been how to kill his target each time he was sent out... well, that and whether or not it was worth ordering shark-fin soup for lunch just to piss off Kisame.

* * *

In one of the few bars within Wave to still stock liquor, a restless crowd gathered.

The natives had fled when the group of nearly a dozen burly men demanded 'their corner' be cleared. Since then, the cheap beer flowed like water down the gullets of the rowdy thugs.

A one-eyed dock worker at the bar grimaced as he listened to the horrendous stories spewing from their mouths.

One claimed to have beaten a woman's husband unconscious as punishment for some imagined insult, and then did the same to the woman when she clawed his face while refusing his advances. Another claimed to have his own eye on a family with a daughter in her early teens. A daughter he seemed certain he could 'convince' the parents to sell, if only to save their other children.

The henged Kakashi swallowed the bile in his throat as his nearly ignored glass cracked in his grip. He had been coming here every night, leaving Absol to guard the clients, trying to learn what Gato might be planning.

He had heard innumerable complaints, and nearly as many useless threats from the villagers, but this was the first time any of their primary opponent's 'hired help' had shown up.

Unfortunately, despite their colorful conversation and alcohol induced loss of discretion, he had learned nothing of value. And as the night bore on, he found it more and more difficult to resist the urge to execute the bastards outright.

They received an eleventh hour reprieve when the door burst open and a small man who reminded Kakashi of a grease soaked rodent darted in.

"You guys hear yet?" He asked excitedly, "word is there's gonna be some big throw down on the bridge soon! The boss wants everyone on hand to make sure things go how he wants 'em to!"

The group began protesting loudly, most obviously reluctant to leave the source of their liquid recreation.

"Shut up all'a you!" shouted the group's leader, a blob of a man who's only apparent asset was a stronger than normal resistance to inebriation. "We'll hear your news in a sec. First we gotta clean house a bit. Don't want no loose lips leakin' all over them leaf ninja, eh?"

Most of the remaining villagers took that as their cue to leave, even the bartender who owned the building left with a glum expression.

Only Kakashi and a couple others too deep in their cups to notice the exodus remained.

One by one, the remaining drunks were escorted to the doorway and hurled bodily out onto the street by their laughing abusers.

When Kakashi's turn came, he staggered drunkenly alongside his own escort, neither aiding nor hindering the man's progress... at least until they reached the exit.

Once there, a mere thought had him anchored as solidly as any tree.

The first time the brute was unable to move him, his allies laughed raucously. When the second attempt went no better, insults joined the laughter. The sound petered out as the watching crowd realized that nothing moved the suddenly still man.

Pushing, lifting, even pulling the statuesque man had no effect. Kakashi finally put an end to the charade when the goon attempted to ram him out of the way.

Instead of slamming his shoulder into Kakashi's back, he met the jounin's fist with his face.

Kakashi calmly kicked the unconscious man out of the way as he shut and locked the building's sole entryway.

"Now," he began as he released his disguise. "What was it you didn't want me to hear?"

The sun was rising by the time he left the former bar, trying to decide how much he should pay the owner in restitution. The building had remained intact, but between his thorough interrogation and vengeful reparation of their crimes, he doubted that anyone would be comfortable in there ever again.

* * *

By the time Kakashi stepped into Tazuna's house, he had scrubbed most of the blood away, though he still smelled of cheap liquor and worse.

"Where were you? You're a mess!" Sakura exclaimed in disgust when he joined them in the kitchen.

"I was out collecting information," the jounin replied as he settled into his seat. His team and their pokemon were present, as was Tazuna, and Tsunami hovered nearby. He was thankful for Inari's antipathy towards the ninja for once, since the boy still refused to eat breakfast with them and was likely hiding upstairs in his room.

"I suggest you sit down," he remarked to their hostess. "I've got news I'm sure you won't like.

"Last night I found a group of Gato's mercenaries and managed to get some information out of them. As expected, he's got some scheme in the works and has issued a general summons to all of his enforcers, as well as anyone else interested in joining him.

"Normally, this wouldn't concern me, since any one of my genin can easily handle a dozen civilians... but I'm afraid they had worse news."

"According to the information I gathered, Zabuza is alive, and Gato's offered him one last chance to finish the job before sending his own thugs after Tazuna."

"That's impossible!" Tazuna protested. "You guys killed him, I saw it myself!"

"No, we defeated him, but it was the hunter-nin who actually finished him off. But he used senbon, fighting needles, which are very difficult to kill with. Almost as difficult as it is to render a person so close to death that it's nearly indistinguishable from the real thing, at least for a cursory inspection."

"So it was all a trick?" Naruto asked quietly.

"I believe so," Kakashi replied, though he misunderstood the blond's query. "I don't expect any of you to know this, but the job of a hunter-nin is to locate, kill, and destroy the remains of traitorous ninja. This is to prevent those targets from aiding their former village's enemies, either by choice or through their posthumous autopsy."

"That hunter defied standard custom, but I hadn't considered it important at the time. There are a number of valid reasons to do so: he could have been asked to retrieve something from the body, often the head is required as evidence, or they simply din't know an obliteration technique they could use in that field. Kirigakure's ninja are somewhat notorious for their over reliance on ocean water techniques."

"However, if they were right and Zabuza remains a threat, we must act accordingly. Being forced into such a state plays havoc with the victim's body, but it's impossible to say with certainty how long we have until he attacks again.

"From now on I want everyone on high alert. We'll continue your training, but we'll be remaining within sight of Tazuna at all times. We can't afford to be caught off guard, especially since we now know he has an accomplice."

Most at the table nodded somberly or agreed quiet tones, but Naruto stayed silent.

"I don't believe you," he said at length. "Haku is a good person, she'd never work for a guy like that!"

Kakashi looked to the boy in confusion, "Naruto, what are you talking about? Who's Haku?"

"Haku's the hunter girl! She's really nice, an' I met her yesterday mornin'! She was out collectin' herbs to help her sick friend get better!" Naruto replied, loud in his agitation.

"And you recognized her?" Kakashi asked, concerned about the danger of a suspected threat meeting his student.

"Well... no, but Ralts-chan did, and she told me on the way back here. She an' I hung out for a bit, that's why I got back so late."

"Are you sure it was the hunter? I mean absolutely positive?" Kakashi asked, turning his eye to the pokemon.

Ralts nodded without hesitation, though he could see in her eyes that she wished otherwise.

"Naruto, I'm going to have to ask you to take us to where you met her. Tazuna, I hope you don't mind us taking a detour.

* * *

It ended up taking better than half an hour just to reach the field with the echinacea flowers, due to the rambling route of Naruto's search and his indifferent pathfinding skill.

Once there, Kakashi summoned his primary tracking hound. The small pug had introduced himself as Pakkun, an act which amazed the genin and bridge builder, and set about pursuing the pair's trail.

At Sakura's request, Pakkun kept a running commentary up, explaining to Eevee how to find and follow the slightest scent clues to track a target.

Following the dog's sense of smell rather than Naruto's unfocused memories, they reached the end of their combined path quickly, and from there followed the girl's scent until the dog informed them that it had vanished.

Both experienced trackers seemed surprised by this, but a systematic sweep of the forest surrounding them supplied no further clues.

Kakashi grunted in annoyance, but hadn't really expected to be able to locate Zabuza's lair so easily anyway.

* * *

Near the bridge, Kakashi set Sakura and Sasuke to training with their pokemon and took Naruto and Ralts aside for a discussion.

He had the boy relate everything he could remember about his time with Haku, and Naruto complied, though he often reiterated his belief that the girl wasn't a 'bad guy'. Ralts supported him as always, but seemed less sure of the girl's intentions.

When he had finished, Kakashi settled to the ground near him and looked at the boy with an expression of rare sobriety.

"Naruto," he asked calmly, "do you think I'm a 'bad guy'?"

"What?" Naruto responded in surprise. "Course not! You gotta be a good guy. Sarutobi-jiji wouldn't let you teach if you weren't."

"Ah, so teachers are all good? I suppose Mizuki was simply misunderstood?" the jounin replied slyly.

"No... but he was an exception!" the boy insisted.

"There are exceptions to everything," Kakashi agreed. "Some groups like teachers and doctors are generally good, while others, such as bandits, are largely evil. However, there are plenty of examples in the village mission reports of murderous medics and even a few benevolent bandits."

"In this world, you usually can't categorize people into black and white, good and evil. It's especially tough to do so with ninja, who rarely have a choice as to the missions they're assigned. We have to trust our Hokage and his assistants to do what's best for the village."

"I have protected people I wished dead, and have killed people I could have seen myself befriending. I have also delivered death, and worse, to people who have indisputably deserved it... such as the people I met last night."

He met Naruto's gaze with his own grim eye, "You will have to face these same situations, if you live long enough, and more and more often as you ascend through the ranks."

"There is good in our world, the Sandaime is a nearly perfect example, but even the best of us has done things that they regret. Either through our actions, or our refusal to act, evil becomes part of us. The only real choice we have is how we let these acts define us."

"Gato isn't even the worst evil in this world, just the worst you've met so far, but rest assured if we don't have the opportunity to end the threat he poses personally, Sarutobi will assign a mission to do so. It's far too dangerous to allow a cancer like that to thrive so close to our territory."

"Why are you tellin' me all this?" Naruto asked, he appreciated the lesson, but it was a lot to take in while he was trying to find his way through his own maze of confusion.

"Because for all I know, Haku very well may be a good person. So could Zabuza, actually. But the fact remains that we are enemies, and will probably remain so, for as long as our missions have opposing goals."

"But why would they help a person like Gato?" Naruto inquired.

"Missing-nin don't have a lot of choice, so they usually take whatever missions they can get and hope their former village doesn't catch up to them before they complete it." Kakashi answered.

"But if they're good guys, they shouldn't be missing-nin!" Naruto exclaimed. Kakashi noted the boy had an unrealistically explicit idea of right and wrong.

"I didn't say they were good, just that it is possible," Kakashi corrected. "But as to how... well, the only person who can officially declare a missing-nin is their village leader. Unfortunately, the current Mizukage is... well, frankly the man is insane."

"Zabuza could have done anything from refusing an order to snoring too loudly and been punished for it. Some reports claim he tried to kill the Mizukage as part of a coup, but failed. So the question there is whether or not it's a good deed to kill an evil person when he's your leader."

"In the end, it comes down to his reasons, which I'm sure only he, and maybe the Mizukage or Haku might know."

"This stuff is so much easier in books..." Naruto complained.

"Tell me about it," Kakashi chuckled.

"Is there any way to fix this so nobody gets hurt?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that," Kakashi replied, remembering the night prior. "But for Zabuza, Haku, and us? The easiest way would be for someone to quit their mission, and I'm afraid it won't be us."

Naruto nodded his agreement, though his expression remained dismal.

"I know it's tough, but your best bet is to beat your opponent. If you can do it without killing her, I won't object, unless she hurts one of us in the process." With his piece said, Kakashi left the boy and his pokemon to their thoughts.

* * *

To Kakashi's concern, Naruto threw himself into his training with near single minded determination. His psychological profile, at least the one he had received from Iruka, claimed that had been his primary method of dealing with stress for years.

The jounin found it exhausting to just watch how hard the boy pushed himself, and was unwilling to even consider matching his effort.

Naruto's clones still helped Tsunami, but the boy himself went out to exercise and spar against yet more clones, rather than work on his academic studies. During training near the bridge, he had taken to helping out with the building project, both with clones and personally, when Kakashi ordered him to take a rest.

Kakashi had objected to such working breaks, but Naruto had argued that it was rest technically, since he wasn't using much chakra outside of his clones, nor was he getting hurt. Added to the sheer restlessness he displayed the few times the jounin forced him to sit and actually rest, Kakashi eventually gave in and let the boy work."

Even Ralts proved a thin leash to his efforts. She had managed to force him into sleeping by dragging him back to his room via teleports, but only used that method when she knew it was necessary.

A benefit of Naruto's insistence was that progress on the bridge had sped up considerably. After the first couple days, during which Naruto and his clones were useless for anything but general labor, he began to help with the simpler tasks. And by the end of his fourth, he was a match for any of the volunteer labor that had arrived when the work began months prior.

He still received orders from Tazuna and his engineers, but aside from the exacting structures integral to support, Naruto could practically supervise himself.

Each day that passed left the boy more capable, and Tazuna had grabbed the offered opportunity with both hands, leaving an experienced construction supervisor to work with Naruto, and personally guiding the rest of his team through the process of placing the framework and vital components.

The other genin were shocked, and Kakashi reminded himself repeatedly to talk to Naruto about the memory retention from his shadowclones, but the boy always fell into bed at the end of the day. He barely even woke for dinner, which he seemed to sleepwalk through anyway.

Kakashi was concerned that Naruto would burn himself out, but knew the drive to protect those he cared for, and let the boy continue. He had heard the boy vowing to get strong enough to save Haku, and claiming that if the bridge was completed before they were able to attack again, they would have failed and could therefor leave unharmed. His team doubted his certainty, but even Sasuke couldn't fault him for his determination.

Naruto's inevitable collapse came after nearly eight days of this, leaving his entire team amazed at the boy's potential stamina. They were walking home for lunch, when he dropped snoring literally between one step and the next.

Kakashi placed him gently on his sleeping mat and decided that they would let him sleep his exhaustion out.

* * *

Naruto hadn't awoken the next morning, so Kakashi had decided to let him stay. As a result, the team was down one ninja and pokemon when they arrived at the mist covered bridge to find the bulk of Tazuna's workers laid out haphazardly.

"Defensive formation. Move in and verify the status of those civilians." Kakashi ordered as he took the point position in front of Tazuna.

Lacking Naruto and Ralts, the rest arrayed themselves around him evenly, senses alert as they approached the victims.

When they reached the damp bridge, it became obvious that the men scattered around were merely unconscious, though some bore nasty bruises while others bore punctures that still leaked slightly.

Soon, Zabuza's voice came to them from the depths of the fog shrouded structure.

"I've been looking forward to this day, Hatake. Are you ready for round two?"

"Always." Kakashi replied cockily. "Afterall, I've got some amazing backup."

"You're not the only one with a team this time," Zabuza said, allowing the mist to thin enough for himself and Haku to be visible.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Haku," Kakashi called with a bow of his head. "I've heard much about you from Naruto, he'd be hurt to see you here today."

"It is better that he not be present for this battle," Haku replied calmly through her mask. Zabuza hadn't decided what to do yet, but her orders were to incapacitate the genin team in whatever way she could, then eliminate the bridge builder. If Naruto never arrived, then he would be free to return to Konoha unharmed. Zabuza himself wanted his rematch, and was unlikely to stick around just to hunt a genin for Gato.

"You have a point there," Kakashi agreed, knowing the boy would take her opposition hard. "Shall we get on with it then?"

"Thought you'd never ask!" Zabuza growled, appearing from one of the many puddles near the team and knocking Kakashi over the edge of the bridge, before leaping after him.

Haku stared silently at the two genin and their partners, as the Zabuza beside her melted into water.

"Protect Tazuna and the others," Sasuke ordered, leaping towards the masked kunoichi with kunai drawn. Charmander charged right behind him, tail-flame flickering wildly.

"Right! Kick her butt Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called as she and Eevee took up their defensive stances around Tazuna.

* * *

Tsunami hummed quietly to herself as she worked. Naruto hadn't woken up to help with the morning chores, but she intended to have a wonderful meal for the group's return anyway. The boy had done so much, he'd certainly earned as much rest as he needed.

Ralts had joined her after the other ninja had left to help where she could, and such an adorable assistant she had been. Inari had even come down once his grandfather was gone, as seemed to be his habit lately, and the boy had been amazed by the cloud of floating objects as the ingredients and tools Tsunami wanted were sent to her.

Inari had opted to help her as well, the pokemon's antics catching his interest more than anything had since Kaiza's death. Tsunami had even decided to do more than she normally would, scrubbing and dusting things she had just cleaned the day prior, just to have more time with her son.

They worked through the chores cheerfully, only stopping when a soapy crash signaled Ralts releasing the brushes and bucket she was manipulating to scrub the ceiling.

Tsunami looked to the table where Ralts had sat controlling her cleaning tools. She sat staring towards the doorway, her red eyes wide and fearful.

The woman rushed to the door and locked it in a flash, just before a loud thump and the door rattling in it's frame announced the arrival of their unexpected company.

"Inari! Go hide!" She called, grabbing a large knife out of a nearby drawer.

The boy stepped back, his face revealing the full depth of his fear. Before he could continue in his flight, a flash of light erupted from the door, followed by a half dozen more in quick succession. A second thump sounded, and the door fell to pieces, along with a large section of the wall around it.

Through the broken doorway strode a pair of tall men with swords at their hips.

"So... You're Tazuna's daughter, huh?" The shorter of the two sneered. "I'm gonna have to ask you to come with us."

"Hey, there's a brat here, you think we should grab him?" The taller asked, hand resting on his sword, and posture declaring his preferred answer.

"Gato only wanted one hostage, the brat's useless to us," the Zori replied cruelly.

"Don't... Don't you dare touch him!" Tsunami shouted at the invaders when Waraji stepped towards her son. "If you do... I'll... I'll kill myself!" She twisted the knife in her hands to point at her own chest.

Zori's sneer dropped into a frown, while Waraji's face split in an evil grin.

"Only need one hostage, right?" He asked his partner, when the smaller man nodded, his smile widened. "Good." he said, whipping his sword from it's sheath and swiping it toward Tsunami's throat in a glistening arc.

Tsunami flinched away and her son screamed, but the clank of metal striking metal rang through the room as the knife in her hand darted up and caught the sword.

The two ronin stared in shock at the woman's act, as Tsunami herself did when she opened her eyes and saw the blades crossed in front of her.

With a strangled cry, she fell to the ground, both hands going to her throat as she hyperventilated. To the watcher's surprise, the knife remained floating were it was.

Waraji stared a the blade, and past it to the pale woman on the ground. Zori turned his gaze to the cowering brat pressing himself against a chair.

Inari, tears streaking his face, hiccuped and darted under the table the second Zori's tattooed eyes met his own. Zori scowled, and looked to the table where he finally noticed Ralts, standing with an arm stretched towards the locked blades.

"It's the damn pokemon!" He called, yanking his sword from it's sheath.

Waraji's eyes flickered toward his partner a moment, and in that instant the knife flipped around the sword's blade and shot towards the one-eyed man's face.

The man fell back with a shout and swung his blade wildly, a blue glow suffused the weapon and slipped it from his hand. Forgotten and thrown with all the force Ralts could muster, the knife slammed into the wall above his head.

The worn katana flashed through the air and intercepted Zori's before it could split the small pokemon in half. The swordsman attacked again and again, but Ralts continued to hold him off.

Waraji blinked as he stared at the cooking knife that had nearly killed him.

Nearby, Tsunami also huddled on the floor. She crawled backwards, eyes locked on him as she tried to escape, but her movement caught the man's attention.

Waraji lunged forward, latching onto her leg with a roar of anger. Tsunami shrieked in response kicking at him with her free leg. He dragged her close, fending off her uncoordinated attacks with his arm, while she slapped and scratched at her assailant.

The ronin slapped her hands away and wrapped his own large hands around her throat and squeezed with an evil grin. Tsunami gasped breathlessly and tried helplessly to pry him off.

Inari cowered under the table, ears clapped over his ears to drown out the sound of clashing steel and cries of battle. His terror was pierced by his mother's cry, and he looked up as it cut off into a breathless wheeze as her throat yielded to Waraji's grasp.

Inari stared wide-eyed at his mother as she fought the man, kicking and clawing at him, though her attempts grew weaker by the second. Within a scarily short time, Inari could swear she was dying... slowly. Kaiza had died dramatically, Gato had wanted to scare the village, proving his strength through his thugs. And he could see that this man was the same, hurting someone just because he could.

Inari didn't know what came over him, he just acted.

"Let go of my mom!" He screamed, ramming the thug abusing his mother and knocking the unbalanced man on his side. He lost his grip on Tsunami and she gulped in air rapidly.

Waraji backhanded the boy, sending him tumbling away, then rose to his full height and looked between the two viciously as he tried to decide which was the more valuable hostage.

His decision was forestalled when the roof exploded, and through the shower of broken wood fell the orange figure of Naruto.

* * *

_'N...to! Nar... ...lp!' _

Naruto blinked blearily around as he wondered who called him, and why it was so bright out.

_'Naruto! He... us!' _

He sat up with a start, looking around rapidly. If he didn't know better he'd have sworn that voice was coming from inside his head...

_'Naruto! Help!'_

"Ralts-chan!" Naruto called, leaping to his feet. Now that he was awake he could hear the sounds of fighting below his feet.

Rather than answer him, Ralts telepathically showed him the state of events in the room below. In front of her, a swordsman in a purple jacket was slashing wildly at the small pokemon, while behind him a larger tattooed man had his hands wrapped around Tsunami's neck.

Naruto felt his anger spike and realized he had to save them fast, Moving to where he felt his pokemon, he clapped his hands together in the bird seal and slammed both palms to the floor beneath his feet.

**"Futon: Reppusho" **he shouted, channeling as much energy as he could into the attack, blowing a hole through the floor and sending the shards of wood blasting onto Ralts' opponent.

Naruto dropped through the newly altered ceiling and landed before the wood peppered ronin.

"Sorry I'm a lil late," Naruto said, striking what he felt was a bold pose. "But heroes gotta show up at the last minute, right?"

A quick glance revealed the other enemy stalking towards Inari, though he was brought down by Tsunami breaking one of the chairs across his back.

When he went down to one knee and tried to swing a backhanded punch her way, Inari darted in with a skillet and smashed it viciously across his knee. Tsunami hopped back away from the clumsy blow and grabbed a heavy wok from the counter where it lay drying.

Still unarmed, Waraji went down quickly under the two pronged assault.

Naruto focused the bulk of his attention on Zori, hammering him with punches to the torso and kicking at his legs while Ralts continued holding the blade at bay, stabbing at his arms when opportunities were presented.

Naruto landed a lucky punch to Zori's left kidney, sending him staggering and grabbing at his side. Taking the chance, Ralts sent her pilfered blade stabbing through his weapon arm and pinned him to the floor as Naruto kicked his knees out from under him.

With the man trapped, Naruto borrowed the wok from Tsunami and bashed him into unconsciousness.

Naruto gazed around, frowning at the heavily damaged room, smirking at the two battered former samurai, and grinning confidently at his pokemon and the two civilians.

"Nice job, Inari! You kicked his butt good!" Naruto said as he retrieved some wire from his pouch and began binding their attackers.

Naruto's remark, and the nearly routine manner in which he went about securing the people who had nearly killed both himself and his mother, proved too much for the boy and he collapsed to the ground sobbing wildly.

"Hey hey hey, cheer up man, you did good!" Naruto said, walking over to where Tsunami was trying to comfort her son.

Naruto frowned when she smiled weakly at him, and Inari just kept crying. Naruto wondered how he could help the boy, this wasn't as serious as a ninja's first kill, but it was obvious the boy was in shock.

_'He saved his mother.' _Ralts said to Naruto, showing him her memory of the boy's attack on the thug.

Naruto grinned widely as an idea formed.

Naruto walked over and pulled the boy from Tsunami's hug with an apologetic look, and set him on his feet

"Stop crying!" Naruto yelled, shaking the boy until he opened his eyes and looked at the blond through tear-filled eyes. "Heroes don't just sit around crying, not til the job's done."

"Wh... what are you talking about?" Inari asked through his tears. "Heroes don't exist!"

"Oh yeah," Naruto countered, leaning in with one of his giant smiles. "What do you call that?"

Inari followed the ninja's pointing finger to his mother, "My mom?"

"Nope! Damsel in distress." Naruto declared cockily. "And who saves damsels in distress?"

Inari stared at him blankly, and remained silent.

Naruto sighed, realizing the boy wouldn't cooperate. "They're rescued by heroes, and Ralts says you saved your mom, so that makes you a hero."

"Heroes aren't real!" Inari insisted angrily.

"Your dad was a hero, right?" Naruto prompted, though he hurried on when the boy's tears started flowing again.

"Look, heroes are real. Your dad fought Gato to protect your home, Yondaime fought Kyuubi to protect mine. And they both did it to save their precious people. Just like you risked your life saving your mom, and she risked hers to save you. You're both heroes!"

Tsunami blushed at the insinuation, and Inari looked ready to protest when Ralts slipped the memory she showed Naruto into their minds.

When it ended, Tsunami's eyes glittered with tears, and Inari's jaw had gone slack.

"There's a saying I read not long ago..." Naruto said sombrely. "'A hero is no braver than anyone else, he's just brave for a few minutes longer.' Your dad fought on when noone else was willing... and I bet if he hadn't, your grandfather never would have found the strength to fight himself."

"Kinda makes you wonder though... what would'a happened if the whole village fought with him, huh?" Naruto shrugged and turned to Ralts. "You can talk to me now, right? Can you reach Kakashi-sensei or any of the others?"

_'I'll try..."_ Ralts replied, telepathically.

She closed her eyes and screwed her face into an expression of concentration startlingly similar to Naruto's. After a few moments, an unexpectedly bold sibilant voice echoed through the duo's minds.

_'Sword-man returned, One-eye fighting him. Sasuke fighting Ice girl. Strong, fast, good challenge.'_

"Where's Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked aloud.

_'Pink-hair and Eevee are with the fat one, protect the target.'_

"We gotta go," Naruto said abruptly. "Tazuna's being attacked at the bridge, they might need my help."

"I understand," Tsunami replied. "Please... be safe... all of you."

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not gonna die til I become Hokage! Dattebayo! Let's go Ralts-chan!" Naruto scooped his pokemon up and both vanished in a flash of light.

Inari stepped towards where the ninja vanished, trying to make sense of what the ninja had just said. Naruto had gone rushing into a fight against an opponent who could almost certainly kill him. He had overheard enough in the last few days about the mysterious Zabuza that he had a good idea what the man was capable of.

Inari rubbed his sleeve across his face and ran from the room. Tsunami stepped to chase after her son, but stopped and looked to the two bound men on the floor.

Before she could decide whether it was safe to leave them, she heard footsteps slapping their way back down the stairs. Inari ran into the kitchen with an old helmet on his head and carrying the crossbow Kaiza had taught him to hunt with.

"What are you doing?" Tsunami asked incredulously.

Inari just grinned in a manner not unlike Naruto.

* * *

This is as good a spot to break it as any. Next chapter will be the completion of the wave arc. (Sorry again for it becoming a three chapter arc rather than my intended two.)

One thing of note in this world are that Elemental Kekke Genkai aren't as insanely rare as they are in the series. However powerfully developed ones on par with Shodaime, Yamato and Haku will still be pretty uncommon. Also, Ninja will not have elemental weaknesses or resistances based on their natures, but they will have an easier time with their own element's jutsu. (Effectively a variant of STAB- Same Type Attack Bonus)

In regards to the temples mentioned in Kiri: There are two temples in each of the big five countries, while the remaining seven are scattered across the lesser ones. The monks have no assigned pokemon, but specialize in fighting alongside the pokemon inhabitants of their temples, and both sides of this partnership will defend their homes to the utmost of their ability.

Samurai also work with pokemon in a one to one role similar to ninja, but in their case they must track down and challenge their chosen partner in a duel of honor. If the samurai wins, the pokemon agrees to ally with them under agreed terms. They have their own rituals to invoke at the time of the challenge, and a Legendary is usually present to oversee it since the battles are relatively rare. Because of this, it's usually easy to judge a Samurai's strength by the strength of their partner. The terms of their partnership can include a limit on either duration, or amount and type of aid provided by the pokemon. In this way, it is possible for a Samurai to gain a different ally by letting the contract expire and challenging a new one once the old has left.

To respond to some reviews(that I haven't answered via PM): Minato and Kushina's pokemon are still alive, and will show up in the future. I'm still ironing out the circumstances, but I have a few decent ideas.

And I thank you, Gui, for your team suggestion, but had the team format in mind already. One of the primary reasons I decided to use them in the end was that they kinda built themselves while I brainstormed future story ideas. Your description is pretty interesting for a dark/creepy team setup though. And if you don't object I'll keep it in mind for future use. (batting around ideas for a foreign exam in the future, so I'll need teams to take with the tests I've some up with. won't pop up for a fair while though, I really have too many arcs planned for this thing, hehe)

Terms:

Sogen Handou: "Prime element reaction". I wanted to give the team some jutsu during wave, and remembering the shiny leaves from Heartgold and Soulsilver, decided it'd be a good use considering Naruto's training and their unexplained value in the games.

Suji Jiinto: "Muscle Numbing." Sasuke's jutsu is sort of a poor man's Chidori, being designed for incapacitation rather than killing, which most of his fire techniques are. It's basically the equivalent of a taser.

An explanation of Elements chosen, followed by a request for input:

Naruto: He's cannonically wind, and the only one I believe has been officially identified, so I left that more or less as it was.

Sasuke: He seems very western-dragon-like to me, and it's plays a bit with his 'last Uchiha' motif, since the only type with fewer representatives than Dragon is Ghost. He will eventually obtain some dragon attacks, but I need to invent some (only one planned now) and he needs to get stronger. Plus Dragon pokemon have a fairly widespread variety to their movesets and are weak to themselves, also seems appropriate.

Sakura: I was a bit iffy for her, but water is traditional in older RPGs as a healing element, and it seems to me her punches do more damage when she hits the ground, which implies an earth or lightning element in canon. Make what you will of the fact that she's a 'mud element', but the fact that she can potentially turn her one jutsu into three or more variations with her chakra control makes up for any coincidental insult, I think.

Request for Input:

You probably noticed that Naruto grabbed enough leaves for the rest of the rookie nine, and so I'm asking for reviews or PM's with suggestions for their elements, as well as team Gai's. Except for the obvious ones like Shino as bug, or Lee as fighting, I would like at least basic explanations. For example: "Ino should be a plant type because of her affinity to flowers", or "Ino's a psychic type because of her Yamanaka techniques." More detailed reasons are of course welcome. I have a few ideas myself, but since it'll be a while before it comes to effect (Prelims probably) and I can't see every angle myself, I'm throwing this out there.

Similarly I would like suggestions for the nine Biju's elements. This may never come up in story, but if it does I'd like to have thoughts in place. They should follow the standard two type limitation that pokemon have, and have some explanation for the suggestion. One option I'm considering for use of this is having the pokemon's types add to or displace the ninja's when it's being tapped. For example: If Kyuubi is a fire/dark (randomish example), one tailed Naruto would be a Flying/Fire, and four tailed would become Fire/dark.

This may be considered by some to be 'Review whoring' I imagine, but if you'd prefer PM to review to offer suggestions, my inbox is open.

Thank you once again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.

-Mhyrloc

P.S. Sorry to disappoint those who want to see Zabuza and Haku's pokemon, but the battle's really getting away from me, hehe. Promise it'll be in next chapter, which I'm already a far way into since it was supposed to be part of this one.


	8. Crashing waves and fallen tears

Remember how I said the fights were getting away from me? Well, not long after I posted the last chapter I think they hot-wired a Ferrari and took off. I got my hands on a pinto and tried to chase after, but that darn horse wouldn't cooperate at all. Anycase, I hope the wait was worth it.

For this chapter, I will put the pokemon's moves Italicized in parentheses _(like so) _to see if this proves easier to read. I should have considered the potential nuisance of having them listed at the bottom sooner, apologies.

* * *

Sasuke raced into combat with the masked ninja, his kunai aimed to end the fight in a fast disemboweling slash, but Haku caught the blade with a single senbon needle, stopping him cold.

She held him off with ease, the only tension he could spot was in her fingers, tightly bracing the thin weapon in her hand.

Cursing the mask hiding his opponent's facial expressions, and whatever revealing thoughts might be found there, Sasuke released the pressure of his weapon and dropped to a knee, bracing his free hand on the ground.

With timing as good or better than in their practice, Charmander leapt to his back, spring-boarding up and launching a blast of flame towards their mutual foe.

As expected, she dodged away from Sasuke's kunai arm. He spun, choosing to reveal his back momentarily for the added power the momentum would grant his attack.

With one hand, he launched his kunai, knocking the expected senbon she threw from the air, with the other he caught the falling Charmander and threw him at Haku, ducking low and following after in a reversal of their standard attack pattern.

For the first time, Sasuke saw something other than relaxed confidence in the fake hunter's posture. He hesitation cost her, and she only narrowly avoided the burst of flame Charmander loosed, ducking the attack that would have incinerated the hated mask and everything behind it.

Her dodge put her in line with Sasuke's attack, and as Charmander passed overhead, she prepared to avoid the genin once more.

She was caught by surprise and thrown off balance when Charmander, not one to accept such casual dismissal, tucked into a forward roll and slammed his tail into the back of her head. The unplanned maneuver sent him tumbling through the air and across the ground, but the pokemon considered it an acceptable cost to ensuring the combo's success.

Taking the opening his pokemon provided, Sasuke completed his attack, slamming his fist into Haku's masked face with all the strength he could muster, sending her flying.

Pain radiated through his hand, and he heard a pop that he couldn't immediately place. Realizing it had to be either his hand, her mask, or possibly her nose, he flexed his fingers experimentally. Noting that they all responded properly with no increase in pain, he dismissed the sound and stalked over to his fallen foe.

Confident in his newly reaffirmed superiority, Sasuke approached the fallen hunter ninja, who was just rising shakily to her hands and knees.

Haku pushed herself up from her prone position, acutely aware of the taste of blood in her throat. She shook her head slightly, using the rub of her mask against her face to confirm that her nose was merely bloody rather than broken.

The movement of her hair also revealed a tender section of her scalp, possibly a blister forming from the pokemon's tail-flame. It would be uncomfortable until it healed, but not debilitating or particularly impairing.

All this went through her mind in seconds, time during which her disorientation and the ringing in her ears prevented her from taking or really considering more useful actions.

Her disparate thoughts were refocused by a sharp, grinding pain in her hand. She looked up and found the coal-eyed boy standing over her, kunai in hand and his foot crushing her hand painfully.

Sasuke spun the kunai by it's ring a few times before catching it and tapping the blade on her newly cracked mask. "I'm a bit disappointed," he taunted, leaning down to look into her glass-covered eyes, not coincidentally putting more weight on her trapped digits. "I expected Zabuza's mysterious partner to be stronger."

"And I expected a student of Kakashi Hatake to be more perceptive," Haku countered, her bland voice revealing no hint of the discomfort he was causing her.

Sasuke drew back, in surprise or anger even he couldn't say, and that was all that saved him. Her free hand positioned out of easy sight from both his own and Charmander's perspectives was flying through one strange symbol after another.

He realized her intent with bare moments to spare, leaping away at the absolute last second.

**"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles!" **Haku called as a multitude of frozen spikes formed from the soaked concrete and moisture laden air and launched themselves at Sasuke.

Charmander, safely out of the attacks' range of effect, tried rushing the prone ninja, but was blown up and away by a blast of foul scented air. _(Ominous Wind)_

Haku rose to her feet, and behind her at the point where the odorous wind originated, a pokemon rose up from the bridge, passing through the stone fluidly. The Froslass glared at Charmander and floated backwards silently until she hovered close behind her partner.

"You are not like Naruto-san," Haku declared, subtly flexing her abused hand and finding it adequately responsive.

"Hmph," Sasuke scoffed. "As if I'd want to be anything like that Dobe."

"You should," Haku replied, surprised at the boy's callous dismissal of his teammate. "He knows what true strength is. I can see from your eyes that you fight for no one other than yourself. Your anger blinds you to your true potential."

"Anger is my strength!" Sasuke countered hotly. "Anger and hatred are what will make me strong enough to get my revenge!"

"Such ambitions will only chain you to your past," Haku advised. "Have you no precious ones to show you the possibilities in your future?"

"Not anymore," Sasuke said quietly. "Not ever again."

"Then you will never know true strength," she warned.

"I'm getting stronger every day," Sasuke argued with a confident smirk. "Besides, I was strong enough to beat you."

"True," Haku conceded. "Like Zabuza-sama, I underestimated your abilities, and as a result you won the first exchange. Though I do suggest you remember this: Rarely does first blood decide the battle."

Sasuke and Charmander both attacked when she started running through handsigns, but she finished before they could stop her.

**"Ice Release: Crystal Ice Mirror!"**

A wall of water rose between Haku and her pokemon, and the two backed into the fast freezing structure even as it formed.

"What is that?" Sasuke asked, approaching until he was a long arm's length away from the strange mirror. He could feel the cold emanating from it even from that distance. Rather than reflecting his image as a normal mirror would, he could see the false hunter and her pokemon, though only it's back.

"You are not the only one capable of freezing with your jutsu. Naruto-san has informed me that you are a dragon type ninja. I myself, am an Ice type. Due to my training with Zabuza-sama and our pokemon, I believe myself to be one of the most skilled ice element users alive."

"This is a taste of my most powerful technique. The mirror I've created is nearly indestructible, and within it you cannot touch me. However, it provides you no such protection."

A series of senbon fired out of the textureless mirror to illustrate her claim. He dodged them, rotating around to the narrow side of the mirror where he expected she wouldn't be able to attack.

He nearly collided with Charmander in his escape, and noticed that the pokemon had been chased there by a series of jagged blades of ice from the opposite side of the mirror. _(Ice Shard)_

Sasuke felt unease sprout in his gut, which came to full bloom when Haku confirmed his fear that their position was not coincidence.

"And now, I reveal to you the full technique... **"Secret Technique: Demonic Ice Mirrors!" **Haku's voice rang out with uncharacteristic coldness as the pane of ice holding her shattered into a number of irregular fragments.

Each piece flew through the air, stopping only when it had reached a predetermined position around the Konoha pair and became the seed for a new, identical mirror.

In barely more than a blink, they found themselves trapped in a reflective prison of ice, surrounded on every side except down by images of the masked ninja.

Sasuke shook himself mentally, reminding himself that he could win. No one could beat an Uchiha.

"Ice, is it?" Sasuke chuckled as he realized he still held the advantage, and only one of the mirrors held a reflection of the rear-facing pokemon. "Too bad for you that fire beats ice! **Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"**

Charmander added his own flames to Sasuke's attack, and the combined heat created their own 'Hidden mist jutsu' as the ambient water vaporized.

But when the fog cleared, the mirror remained, apparently undamaged by the combined inferno.

"It would take a flame much more intense than that to damage one of my creations," she explained mildly. "However, I do commend you for finding my true position. Let's see if you can do it without Froslass' presence as a clue."

Following the indirect command, Froslass exited the jutsu formed fortress, leaving on the outer side of the barrier.

"Now... Keep your eye on the lady," Haku taunted smugly as she brandished a trio of senbon in each hand.

Haku's image flickered, a slight distortion that Sasuke barely noticed, and a trio of senbon flashed through the air. Almost before he consciously identified the threat they reached him.

Sheer instinct saved him once again, and he twisted away reflexively. It proved just enough that the steel needles gouged bloody furrows in his arm, rather than spearing the muscle through.

Sasuke turned a glare to the mirror he and Charmander had attacked, but before he could give voice to his anger, he was shoved hard.

He fell to the ground, but looked to Charmander when the pokemon let out a growl of pain.

Charmander was crouched low to the ground where Sasuke had been standing. His tail was raised protectively over his head, and a needle was embedded in it. Two more were buried in the bridge just beyond him.

Sasuke traced the weapons' trajectory to a mirror which floated above and behind him.

"Knowing where I was will do you no good," the reflections warned. "You'll need to know where I am, if you wish to truly win this battle."

"You can change mirrors when you attack?" Sasuke realized.

"Or at any other time I choose," Haku confirmed. "Within this jutsu, my speed is unmatched. Even seeing my movements is beyond the skill of most jounin."

"Don't count me out!" Sasuke retaliated. "I beat you once, and I can do it again!"

"Still confident I see... Fine then. Show me the extent of your strength. Let us witness the limits imposed by your obsession." Haku replied, ever calm.

Sasuke retrieved a pair of kunai and widened his stance. Charmander spit out the needle he'd pulled from his tail with his jaws, then took position behind his partner.

What followed was a veritable storm of needles. Sasuke and Charmander strained their ears for the sound of splitting air, and their eyes watching for any glimpse of the real Haku passing between the mirrors.

Charmander kept in contact with his larger partner, usually using the side of his tail. The two put their extensive personal training to good use, moving almost as one to avoid and deflect the attacks they could see.

Sasuke did receive a few minor scorches to his legs before he realized that Charmander's movements were guided by more than avoidance. Once he did, he began responding to the pokemon's steps and watching for what had it's attention.

Periodically, the reptile would unleash a burst of flame, and it took some time before Sasuke spotted his target. The Froslass was hovering outside the dome, popping in between the reflective panes randomly to launch it's own attacks.

Charmander met them all with it's flames. Shards of ice were melted in flight, and blasts of frozen wind were heated into mild breezes. To the fire type's obvious frustration, Froslass never approached within his considerable range.

It wasn't very long before Haku realized that Charmander's elemental advantage was fully negating her own pokemon's most potent element. Even when Froslass utilized her spectral options, the fire-type's constant observation gave them ample opportunity to dodge.

It was equally apparent that while the entrapped pair were able to avoid most of her projectiles, their ability to escape the dome of ice was virtually nonexistent.

Between the constant drain on her chakra and her reluctance to risk permanently injuring one of Naruto's friends, she knew a new approach might be necessary.

"Froslass," Haku said when next the pokemon revealed itself. "I am sorry, but I must ask you to leave these two to me. Please, go complete our true objective."

The pokemon nodded hesitantly, before turning to leave with a mournful call.

Charmander roared a flame filled objection and rushed the now empty gap where Froslass had hovered.

The mirrors flickered and Charmander flew backward as the masked ninja intercepted him. The pokemon rolled end over end, before coming to his feet and charging towards the nearest opening, flying flames leading the way.

Sasuke stood silently watching. He knew he should aid his pokemon, but realized this might be the only time he could observe the swift ninja's movements when he knew where she would be.

The cycle repeated itself twice more, with Haku countering Charmander's reckless escape attempts with needles and nearly invisible taijutsu.

Charmander's final attempt caught Haku by surprise, she had expected it to be down for good after she'd planted a trio of needles in it's left leg. But Charmander proved his determination by ripping the only needle interfering with it's knee out as it rolled and came back up running once more.

He actually managed to set foot beyond the frozen barrier before Haku grabbed him by the tail and threw him back inside, slamming the pokemon into his partner, who had taken that brief opportunity as a chance to attack.

* * *

Charmander rose to his feet yet again, growling low in his throat. He glowered at the many images of the Ice-girl. His glare didn't even flinch when Sasuke removed the half dozen or so needles still piercing his orange hide.

Despite himself, he had to respect the masked ninja. She was too strong to push through, and too fast to evade. His blue eyes narrowed and the growl intensified as she made a sign and the mirrors moved, tucking in and conveniently reducing the gap between them to bare inches.

Yes, he decided, she was strong, fast, and clever. A worthy foe by any measure... But she was human, and his chosen prey was escaping while she held him here in a crystalline cage.

Humans were usually appealing opponents, competent trainers, even tolerable meals in the worst circumstances. But they could never be true prey.

Among pokemon, prey meant more than just meat, more than simple sustenance. It was a nearly sacred connection forged in battle, with the victor claiming a portion of the defeated's very strength.

The loser would eventually recover, but a strong pokemon's power could grow exponentially if they fought well.

Rarely did pokemon kill in combat with each other, preferring to eat the more mundane animals that neither objected intelligibly, nor fought back in more than a token manner. In this way the cycle of power continued unabated within the pokemon world.

Compared to pokemon, fighting humans was nearly pointless.

Charmander flicked his tongue towards the mirror before him, he had lost his chance against the Basculin they'd fought before, and he was determined to take his current one for all it was worth.

* * *

Sasuke looked around apprehensively as the walls slid in to encase them more completely. Despite their glass-like appearance, the ice blocked the incoming light as effectively as stone, leaving them standing in a shadowy sphere criss-crossed by sheets of light.

"I suggest you take this time to rest," Haku remarked calmly. "You can neither defeat nor escape my jutsu, and unless the pink-haired girl is hiding some great strength, she cannot defeat Froslass, while Eevee will not even be able to touch her."

"Soon, the bridge builder will be dead, and our conflict will be at an end. You will then be permitted to collect your friends and return to Konohagakure." _'I hope...'_ She added silently.

Before Sasuke could object to her assumption of their defeat, a blast of flame engulfed the image he and Charmander had been facing.

Barely pausing for breath, the pokemon let loose another and another, attacking the mirrors one by one.

Sasuke dropped to the ground as Charmander proved that even his partner's presence wasn't ward against his outrage.

Tail-flame blazed larger by the second, and the rate of his attacks intensified to match. By the time his tail-flame was as tall as himself, Charmander's firebreath was nearly constant. _(Flamethrower)_

"You may as well stop," Haku advised without concern. "This tantrum will accomplish nothing."

Charmander's offensive just escalated at the callous dismissal, and small flares sparked to life along his tense body. Sasuke scooted away as the heat rose beyond his tolerance.

He watched with dread as the pokemon became fully engulfed in it's own fire, apparently immolated from within.

He tried calling out to it, wanting to reason with the enraged creature, but the heat dried air was suffocatingly oppressive. He vaguely noticed that needles were flying, aimed for the center of the conflagration, as Haku abandoned finesse in an attempt to stop Charmander's reckless act.

This continued unabated for long terrifying seconds, until it exploded with one final deafening roar.

Sasuke threw his arms in front of his face, eyes closed, to protect himself from the waves of heat.

The silence following Charmander's explosion was worse than the fiery roar, or even the explosion, that preceded it... but it didn't last as long.

"Charmeleon!" A rough voice called loudly.

Sasuke's eyes shot open and his arms flew away as he looked upon his newly evolved partner.

Charmeleon flexed it's new, muscular body, glaring at the many masked ninja and grinning confidently.

"Charmeleon!" It called once more, loosing another burst of flame at the mirror before it.

Sasuke could see that the inferno had weakened their prison somewhat, most of the mirrors now sported obvious ripples where a layer of ice had melted and refroze, but he could tell that while Charmeleon's flames were hotter than it's prior evolution, they didn't match up to the intensity of his phoenix-like rebirth.

Sasuke kicked up to his feet and darted over to his partner as the reflections flickered in the now familiar way. His kunai flashed and intercepted senbon left and right, and he smirked viciously as he noticed Charmeleon smacking the weapons from the sky with his new imposing claws and enhanced speed.

The sortie ended in Haku's favor of course, with both targets pierced and cut in many places. Sasuke tore a few of the more hindering needles out, the pain was intense, but tolerable. Especially since had noticed something he hadn't been able to before.

The narrow slashes of light created by the reduced dome gaps gave Sasuke a new line of perspective. He could see bursts of shadow as she slipped from one mirror to another. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would be enough of a difference.

As soon as the needle assault ended, Charmeleon resumed his escape attempt in a spectacular fashion.

Rather than attack the nearly invulnerable mirrors, he turned his razor sharp claws on the stone beneath their feet. _(Dig)_

In the blink of an eye, the swiftly burrowing pokemon was more than waist deep in his stone pit, and Haku's attack began anew.

Sasuke straddled the hole, unable to resist imagining Tazuna's expression when he saw the damage.

When Charmeleon had tunneled far enough down that he could stand and not poke over the lip, he looked up to his partner and realized that the scale of his efforts was far too narrow for the human.

"Go!" Sasuke shouted when he noticed the pokemon lingering uncertainly. "I'll handle this, you go take out that pokemon!"

Charmeleon roared his name in response, and resumed it's work, turning sideways and carving a path through the thick stone bridge towards Froslass and her target.

It wasn't long before the tunnel behind him filled with so much rubble that Haku's projectiles became useless, and Sasuke hopped away breathing heavily and prying loose the needles he'd blocked with flesh rather than his blades.

On a sudden hunch, he ran through the handsigns for his fireball jutsu as fast as he could, and launched it at the mirror closest to Charmeleon's expected reappearance.

The images flickered just as he finished, and when they stabilized, the hunter's kimono sported a thick line of char leading up from her hem until it ended in an unnaturally straight line across her thigh.

He easily read the surprise in her frozen posture, and couldn't resist the urge to gloat over his success, limited though it might be.

"Did you forget about me?" he asked cockily. "Our fight is a long way from finished."

His kunai flashed up to intercept the trio of needles she sent his way, and he fell to his back to evade the rest he expected to follow.

Nine collided in the air he'd just vacated, thrown from three separate directions. He kicked his legs into the air and rolled into a handstand, narrowly avoiding a volley that would have stabbed into his legs and gut, then flipped to his feet and straightened, grinning arrogantly.

"You'll have to do better than that," he taunted.

"It would seem you are correct," Haku admitted, mildly annoyed that the boy had adjusted to her attacks so swiftly. "I had hoped to end this with a minimum of frustration, but you are proving to be quite the nuisance... No matter, it seems that I shall just have to crush you completely."

A shadow blurred in the corner of Sasuke's eye, and three senbon appeared in his shoulder.

Sasuke staggered back, his arm spasming as the muscles contracted and relaxed erratically. Before he could even begin truly worrying, the arm fell limp and numb, his kunai dropping to the ground forgotten as he swallowed a cry of fear.

"Will that be sufficient improvement?" Haku asked, and Sasuke would have sworn he could hear satisfaction buried in her cold voice.

"How?" He asked, grunting in pain as he tore the steel spikes from his flesh. If he had held any hope that the act would repair the damaged nerves, it proved to be in vain.

"As I said earlier: I had hoped to end this amicably. In keeping with that desire, I chose to meet you on terms that were less than my peak, reducing the factor by which this jutsu multiplies my speed. I now see that the only way for this encounter to end, is for one of us to be defeated."

"I have no more reason to hold myself back, and once you are eliminated, I will complete my mission by dispatching the bridge builder. If they are wise, the rest of your team will learn from your defeat and not interfere."

Once more he witnessed the ghostly movement and dove to the ground, scrambling recklessly on three limbs to escape the raining steel.

Sasuke spent the next long minutes literally jumping at shadows half-seen in his peripheral vision. If this was the true power of her jutsu, she might have been telling the truth when she claimed it to be undefeated.

* * *

He never stopped moving, even when he saw nothing to hint at an incoming attack, and to Haku's frustration, this prevented her from landing another telling blow.

Despite her claim, she was still reluctant to kill him, and was confident in her companion's ultimate success. The pokemon was much like her in that it disliked killing those who hadn't earned such a fate, but would do as needed.

Sasuke had been pierced more than a dozen times by now, mostly along his back, legs and numbed arm, but he seemed to be growing more adept at avoiding the hits as time passed...

* * *

Sasuke ripped another needle out, feeling the tingle of another near debilitating nerve hit fill his leg. He was on the move again immediately, knowing that every second he was still only increased her chance to cripple him further.

He was fully aware that she was playing with him. A hellish game of cat and mouse, where he was cast in the worst role.

She wanted him to know, beyond doubt, beyond denial, how hopeless it was for him to keep fighting. She planned to chip away at him until nothing was left, to pierce and slice until he crumbled away completely...

Just like Itachi had.

All the evidence he needed of her intent was hanging uselessly from his shoulder. That first disabling strike could have just as easily ended the fight, or his life. But where would be the fun in that?

As if to confirm his suspicions, the fake hunter spoke.

"What happened to your 'Uchiha pride?', Sasuke?" she ridiculed harshly, hoping to force him into an error. "All this running away... You'll have to do much better than that to defeat me."

Sasuke frowned at hearing his boasts thrown back at him, but couldn't see a way to refute her accusation. He was getting better at spotting the almost imperceptible warnings that preceded her attacks, but even at his best he could barely glimpse her in flight.

* * *

One such glimpse came just as Haku decided to end things by attacking in such a way that dodging would be impossible.

She charged in personally, intent on grabbing the shifty boy and stabbing the needles in manually.

She almost had snatched a fistful of his hair when his eyes flashed red and he screamed, slashing out with his kunai.

Haku fled, feeling the blade catch and tear through the cloth of her kimono as she did. She watched from her mirror as the boy flicked his ruby gaze from side to side, obviously unaware of his own evolution and still alarmed.

Her fingers tightened on her weapons. This was getting far too complicated, she could not afford to let it continue any longer.

One way or another, the boy must be defeated, and soon...

* * *

She appeared before him like a cold specter of death, a yuki-onna come to gather his soul for her gallery.

It was as if time had suddenly slowed to a stop. He saw her as a picture, still and lifeless, one arm stretched out toward his face, the other wrapped around her needle, raised to stab.

He marveled at the detail he could discern, the tension in her muscles, the way her kimono swept back in the wind of her passage, even the determined glare hidden behind her mask's green glass eyes.

He wondered morbidly if he was already dead, slain instantly by his opponent's unimaginable speed, his suffocating mind locked on the last image his eyes captured.

He destroyed that thought faster than the Dobe did a bowl of ramen from that food shack he loved.

If he was dead then there was nothing he could do, and he'd know it soon enough, but he damn well wasn't going to just stand here and wait around for it!

Sasuke tried to bring his weapon to bare, to defend his life or take his enemy's, or both if possible.

As if that were the signal for the world to resume it's normal rhythms, everything began moving again, though at mere fraction of it's prior speed.

He felt like he was moving through syrup, so slowly did his arm respond, but his opponent seemed to be moving just as sluggishly to his altered perspective.

She flowed backwards, bringing her hand down to release it's sole projectile in his direction.

He turned slightly and the weapon missed, bouncing off a mirror beyond him and falling to the ground with a merry tinkling.

His own blade slid forward and up, but even in this strangely distorted situation, she was faster, and he only connected with her sleeve, fabric parting strand by strand before his eyes. He watched her slip into a mirror and immediately went on guard.

Expecting the new situation to be some strange trick from the kunoichi, he was surprised when she appeared from the same mirror she'd just slid into, weapons flying at him as she leapt into another, and another.

He remained confused by the sudden circumstances, until he caught a glimpse of his face reflected in the edge of his kunai.

Two piercing red eyes stared back at him, and the pieces fell into place.

The Sharingan, ultimate dojutsu of perception, was now his! And seeing through even a trick of this speed was well within his new limitations.

He suppressed the surge of elation he felt. She had to have noticed his eyes, and must be assuming he hadn't realized it himself.

Deciding to employ a little deception of his own, Sasuke feigned the same fear and confusion he'd felt before his discovery.

He pushed his acting skill to the limit when an opportunity presented itself, and he 'missed' a deflection.

He instead took that needle to his wrist, dropping his weapon and falling to the ground with an all too authentic hiss of pain.

Hunching himself over both damaged limbs, he used his still responsive one to force the other through his handsigns as best he could, watching for Haku's approach and feeling his chances rise as he felt the chakra build up properly.

As hoped, she advanced, apparently wanting to go for his face again.

The instant he judged her to be within reach and her speed fully committed to the attack, he lunged, sparking fingers leading the way.

**"Raiton: Suji Jiinto!" **he shouted, sending an unmeasurable current of electricity arcing through Haku.

He fought to maintain his grasp on her arm, ignoring the sparks leaping to him. This was his last chance for victory, and he intended to make it count.

The charge finally petered out when Sasuke's chakra did, and he dropped his victim as his eyes reverted to their natural ebon hue.

He stubbornly remained standing as Haku forced herself up.

She stopped in a kneel, her still twitching muscles betraying her balance and steam rising from her clothes.

"H-how did you c-catch me?" She asked, stuttering slightly as the lingering charge played over her.

"My eyes," Sasuke replied smugly. "The second my sharingan awoke, you lost all hope of beating me. From that moment, every move you made became so obvious it was almost embarrassing."

Haku laughed softly at that. "So... Zabuza-sama was correct when he warned me that my speed would not be enough if ever I faced a sharingan wielder."

Sasuke smirked at the knowledge that even with so few Uchiha remaining, the skilled missing-nin still held some concern over their bloodline.

"It is most fortunate that he also told me of the kekke genkai's weaknesses," she finished calmly.

"The sharingan has no weaknesses!" Sasuke protested loudly, his fists clenching in anger at her audacity.

"Everything has weaknesses, Uchiha." Haku replied. "And to illustrate, I shall point one out to you."

"Your red eyes may understand everything you see..." Haku began.

"But you cannot watch everything at once," her voice finished from behind him right before a pair of needles slammed into his neck from either side.

Sasuke collapsed immediately at Haku's feet as her clone dissipated into water. He moaned in what could have been anger, but his paralyzed vocal chords permitted no true words.

"Don't understand?" Haku asked, rising to her feet on shaky legs. "Very well, I will explain before you die, perhaps it will prove enlightening in your next life."

"I made that clone seconds after your eyes turned red. It was created with orders to wait until I said those words before attacking. I knew your anger and pride would give me the opportunity."

"Zabuza-sama knows how to trick the sharingan, as well as most other true bloodlines in this world. Did you truly think one of Kirigakure's top assassins wouldn't have learned to defeat such a prominent clan's abilities?"

"The most certain method is also the easiest: create an attack where you cannot see, such as beyond the dome, and then create an opening for it to strike."

"Your eyes were truly powerful, but not undefeatable... Good bye, Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

Haku watched until his eyes glazed over, sighing in relief when she identified the subtle signs differentiating the near-death state from true demise.

It was always a risk, attempting that technique on a mobile opponent. The slightest wiggle during insertion could turn a piercing strike aside, tearing or severing the spinal chord completely.

Turning towards where she heard Froslass battling the two pokemon and pink-haired girl, she dismissed her mirrors. It had taken entirely too much out of her to defeat that one boy. Thankfully Naruto had nothing but good to say about his female teammate's improvements.

Improvements that any decent kunoichi should be beyond already.

Hopefully the girl would prove to be as weak as expected, or at least a lot slower than the Uchiha... It might be easiest to just assassinate the bridge builder before they ever realized she was there.

A bright flash of light appeared behind her and she spun to face it, weapons appearing in her hands as if by magic.

What she saw nearly stopped her own heart.

Naruto stood over Sasuke, staring down in horror at the apparent corpse.

Haku felt cold fingers run along her spine, and she stepped forward unconsciously, torn between Zabuza's wishes and her own desire to reassure her maybe-friend.

Ralt's cold eyes, so much like the ones their comatose friend just unlocked, turned and the pokemon looked at her with such intensity that she had to check to see if her mask was still in place.

The little pokemon's eyes softened suddenly, and Naruto looked up at her too, his own expressive eyes holding a mix of hope, happiness and concern.

"Guess the Teme made you work for it, huh?" he asked with a lopsided grin, gesturing to her damaged clothing vaguely.

Haku's arm dropped to her side, though her fingers tightened before the needles could slip out. She looked at Naruto through her cracked mask as she bit her lip in worry...

It would have been so much easier if he hadn't come here today...

_'Zabuza-sama... What do I do?' _

* * *

Kakashi jumped away the second he sensed Zabuza's attack. That and the missing-nin's decision to use the flat of his enormous sword were all that kept the fight from ending right there.

He flipped through the air and dove into the sea beside the bridge with nary a splash, avoiding the downward chop Zabuza chased him with neatly.

Up on the bridge, Absol followed his partner to the edge, gazing down after Kakashi before glancing back at the Uchiha and his opponent.

When Kakashi surfaced, it was on top of a pillar of water propelled from deep below the surface. The jounin poofed into an old discarded crab trap and Absol glared at Zabuza. _(Hydropump)_

The rogue ninja stood relaxed and ready, but it was obvious that the water wasn't something he caused directly.

Water exploded around Zabuza, and when Absol could see clearly again, only Kakashi was visible on the unnaturally still surface.

Zabuza rose from the depths some distance away, the water sloughing off his crouched form and chakra writhing about lent him the appearance of a demon long hidden away in abyssal deeps.

Kakashi straightened and turned his mismatched glare upon the man, his red eye shone vindictively. "You should feel honored," he called across the water separating them, "you're the only person alive who's seen this eye and lived."

Zabuza chuckled menacingly. "Wish I could say the same, Hatake, but for you you're just the second person this sword has failed to slay... And that's a number I plan to cut in half right now!" he declared, swinging his blade meaningfully.

"How?" Kakashi asked disingenuously. "Did you send the Mizukage a poisoned fruit basket?"

The jounin brought his kunai up in time to block the overly direct blow from Zabuza, but was forced to dodge backwards when the water beneath his feet began to froth wildly.

He moved quickly from the unstable terrain and Zabuza completed his sword's arrested arc, pulling it from the line of fire just as a sphere of turquoise energy burst from the churning ocean. _(Dragon Pulse)_

"Surprised, Kakashi?" Zabuza asked, when his opponent stepped back again involuntarily, his eyes slipping down to seek the unknown enemy below. "Just because you didn't see her last time, you shouldn't assume I don't have friends of my own."

A long blue neck topped large head with spiraling ears and one prominent horn lifted smoothly from the water next to Zabuza. At it's highest, it would have easily been taller than even the imposing missing-nin, though he still rose above it due to his perch on the pokemon's shell covered back.

Decision made, Absol leapt from the bridge, firing off a ray of frozen energy as he fell. _(Ice Beam)_

Lapras met the attack by releasing another stream of pressurized water from it's mouth _(Hydropump)_

The two attacks collided in midair, and the beam froze most of the incoming water solid, but the massive pillar of ice continued it's flight unhindered by the new form.

Absol's horn glowed brightly, and he rammed the pillar head on, shattering it in a rain of frozen debris. _(Rock Smash)_

The chunks splashed into the ocean below, and Absol dropped agilely onto one of the larger pieces, holding his balance despite it's rocking.

"Clever trick," Zabuza remarked sourly. "But you can't hope to match us here where we're our strongest." Lapras called her agreement to her partner's claim.

"Now now, Zabuza," Kakashi replied. "You know what they say about naming your pokemon before it's hatched. How do you know I'm not just as comfortable down here as you are?"

"Even if you are, that pokemon of yours obviously isn't.," Zabuza countered with a nod towards Absol.

"I'm sure he'll manage just fine," Kakashi said cheerfully.

As if to prove the jounin's point, Absol once more used his Ice Beam, aiming it towards the sea and charging Zabuza and and his mount on a path of his own devising.

Kakashi took off as well, cutting a large arc around the pair to approach from a different angle.

He reached into his pouch and drew a fistful of shuriken, firing them off at the peak of his arching path and quickly following the attack with a technique.

**"Shuriken Shadow Clone jutsu!" **

Zabuza shifted his blade to shield himself from the onslaught of almost-real weaponry, while his pokemon lowered itself in the water, laying it's head almost flat against the waves.

Just as Kakashi was turning in to charge Zabuza directly, the missing-nin flared his chakra and fog rose up around him, thick as the heart of a stormcloud.

Kakashi heard the ring of steel on steel and aimed for that, thankful that he'd had had the foresight to throw the stars, though he'd intended them as little more than a distraction.

He ran through the handsigns for an advanced version of the Suji Jiinto, and thrust his hands forward, pointing them where he heard the shuriken connect.

**"Raiton: Suji Jiinto Chirasu!" **he intoned, and a dart of sparking energy shot from each finger and flew forward like a swarm of tiny beedrill.

He chased in after the attack personally, intending to take full advantage of even the tiniest moment of vulnerability.

What he found instead was Kubikiri Houcho resting against two of the protrusions on Lapras' shell, with no ninja in sight.

A number of the sparks connected with the sword and flowed down into the pokemon, but between the shell and Lapras' sheer mass, it wasn't enough to even tickle.

Reprising his demonic image, Zabuza burst from the mist beside Kakashi, raking at his face with a wickedly curved kunai. The jounin brought his hand up, barely catching the Kiri-made utility knife in his palm rather than his head.

"I gotta admit it Kakashi," Zabuza said, his eyes conspicuously closed. "I killed a lot of sharingan wielders back in my time as a Kirigakure Hunter... but you're better than a lot of born Uchiha I've fought. Most of those jokers were so damn obsessed with that special eye of theirs that a little fog was enough to turn 'em into sniveling genin."

"I'm happy you approve, Kakashi replied sarcastically as he drew a kunai of his own and stabbed at his enemy, though Zabuza caught his hand and stopped him cold.

"Now I've got you!" Zabuza growled, bearing down on the smaller man.

Kakashi was thankful for the sturdy metal plate attached to the backs of his gloves, for that was all that kept the razor sharp blade from tearing clean through his hand. Even with it, he knew that if Zabuza thought to twist the blade, or tear it through the side of his hand, he would be in trouble. Something like that would do enough muscle, tendon and even bone damage to render most of his jutsu unusable.

And with the man's eyes closed, he couldn't slip a subtle command into his subconscious that might get them separate long enough for him to regroup.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kakashi said with forced casualness, hoping the reminder that he wasn't alone might trigger some worry in his opponent.

"Nope," Zabuza replied simply, and in the silence that followed, Kakashi heard a quiet humming that chilled his blood.

"Absol! No!" He shouted, just as the pokemon leapt into sight from the thick fog. Absol soared towards Lapras' exposed neck, horn, teeth, and claws all bared for attack.

The saurian pokemon reacted with vicious speed, bringing it's spinning horn in line with Absol's fall as it's sonorous hum intensified to a whistling whirl. _(Horn drill)_

Unable to dodge, Absol was speared through by the deadly attack. The horn pierced his chest, and he stuck there, hanging limply, twitching and moaning in agony.

"Absol... no..." Kakashi repeated in a horrified whisper, eyes wide with shock.

Zabuza grinned darkly, considering the fight all but over.

"Aaauuuuu..." Absol moaned softly. "Aauuuuu...nter."

Kakashi blinked in surprise as the impaled pokemon extended an impossibly long tongue and blew a raspberry at the two locked ninja, splattering them with green-black slime.

A second Absol exploded from the water beneath Lapras, leaping up and latching it's jaws onto the pokemon's supple throat. _(Bite)_

Game finished for now, Haunter faded away, reappearing not far away in it's true form, laughing with dark glee.

Absol held on tightly, kicking with it's hind legs and circling it's cat-like forelegs around Lapras' neck to further secure itself.

Lapras thrashed with pain and anger, loosing water and ice from it's mouth uselessly, and slapping her attacker against the water and her shell with limited effect.

Kakashi finally got an opening when Zabuza shoved him with a roar of anger. He fell back willingly, intending to drag the missing-nin down into the water with him, but Zabuza had already let go, releasing his kunai and reaching past the Konoha jounin for his giant cleaver.

Zabuza grabbed his sword and spun into a horizontal slice that would have carved the real Absol in half, but the pokemon wisely released Lapras and dropped back in the water.

When the pair reemerged on the frozen pathway nearby, they could see Zabuza standing on guard, but with one hand pressed to Lapras' neck.

Kakashi stepped through the mist for a closer look and noticed the missing-nin's hand glowing green, obviously doing what he could to aid his lifelong partner.

Lapras' raspy breathing, as well as the long bloody trails down it's neck suggested that Absol had managed to do a fair amount of damage in the short time of his assault.

Zabuza cocked his head when Kakashi stepped off the ice and onto the water that was his favored terrain. Though his eyes remained closed, it was obvious by the angle of his head and the tension in his sword arm that he was listening intently for anything that might mark an incoming attack.

Kakashi stopped far enough away that even Zabuza couldn't object. Enemies though they might be, it was too much a part of Kakashi's nature to protect his allies. He wouldn't interfere with the healing in progress, not when Zabuza was putting himself at risk to do so.

"Medical ninjutsu, huh?" Kakashi remarked casually. "You don't seem the type."

Zabuza chuckled with apparent chagrin. "You learn a lot of things you wouldn't expect to as a rogue. We'd have died a long time ago if we didn't know some healing tricks."

"You and Lapras?" Kakashi asked.

"And Haku, Froslass... Hell, even those demon brothers knew a bit, mostly because they got tired of poisoning themselves by accident," Zabuza elaborated.

"Sounds like a tough life..." Kakashi observed.

"It's a ninja life," Zabuza corrected. "There's only two kinds for us: Tough ones or short ones."

"Or tough, short ones." Kakashi agreed.

"And one of ours has to end today," Zabuza replied, turning to face Kakashi as the green glow faded from his hand.

"There's no other way?" Kakashi asked, harboring no real hope for an alternative.

"The great Sharingan Kakashi offering mercy? Hah!" Zabuza scoffed. "The only way this ends is with you dead or running for your life."

"I thought as much," Kakashi replied calmly. "Not that I care, but why are you so eager to work for someone like Gato?"

Zabuza cracked his neck and cursed under his breath. "It's like I said: I'm a rogue ninja. All I have left is my reputation and my skill. If I quit a contract or kill my employer, even a slimeball like Gato, I won't get another mission for a long time, if ever."

"And if that's not bad enough, every bottom feeding narc in the elemental kingdoms will be looking to cash in on my head."

Kakashi nodded gravely. Zabuza's description of his circumstances was pretty typical for Missing-nin, and that near desperation was a large part of the reason they were almost universally abhorred.

It seemed only the two ways for this encounter to end were the obvious ones, and while Zabuza might be willing to let him and his team flee now, there was no guarantee he would be so generous later.

Not that he would take him up on the offer, knowing that Tazuna and his entire country would be paying for it.

Kakashi wished he could just suggest the obvious third option: Invite the missing-nin to join Konoha. Naruto would certainly support the idea, assuming Haku hadn't done anything unpleasant enough to change the boy's opinion of her.

Unfortunately, Kirigakure would object furiously. They were very possessive of their ninja, particularly their nearly legendary ones.

The last time one of the rogue Seven Swordsmen attempted to join another ninja village, that village's leader received a polite letter requesting the return of 'the Kirigakure ninja, and all of his personal effects in their possession.' Despite the civilized wording of the message, it was plain what the price of refusal would be.

The letter was found nailed to the chest of a crucified man identified as the headman of the small town he was found in. All the citizens of that town were found by the ninja investigating the incident, staked to the ground within the burnt out remains of their farmland. The investigators declined to verify whether or not they were alive when the fire was set, but they surrendered the Swordsman immediately.

Sarutobi was a kind and generous leader, and not one to be intimidated by anybody... but even he wouldn't risk the lives of his civilians for the sake of one missing-nin. And the Land of Fire was far too large to properly guard against every form of retaliation the Mizukage might imagine.

"I understand," Kakashi replied somberly. "But if one of us has to meet the Shinigami today, let's give him a good show."

"My thoughts exactly!" Zabuza replied enthusiastically, swinging his blade and grinning viciously through his bandages.

There were two primary schools of thought when it came to death among ninja: One either embraced it, or ran from it.

Those who fled tended to live longer, so there was something to say for that mentality, but they rarely progressed beyond chunin rank. In most cases, it was simple fear that motivated them in perilous situations, though there were some with more complicated justifications.

The other group had much more diverse rationale: Some yearned for death, while others refused to believe it was ever 'their day', and still more had simply ceased to care. In truth, the only near constant among them was a desire to finish their lives in a blaze of glory.

Kakashi wouldn't claim to seek death, but neither did he fear it. He had spent his life immersed too deeply in death's business for that. From the day of his father's suicide, the Shinigami seemed always a step or two behind him, reaching out it's skeletal hand for those around him.

His only real desire was to die in a way that would honor his mentor and his friend. Giving his life as they gave theirs: Defending loved ones, and those in need.

Zabuza was both more simple and more complicated. He had battled his ultimate opponent and lost... badly. On the rare occasions he was willing to step back and think about it, he knew he had no real hope of defeating a monster like Yagura. Now knowing the malicious Mizukage to be a jinchuuriki, it seemed a far off fantasy at best.

He only continued to claim it as his goal because it was a purpose to strive for. That, Lapras and Haku were the only things he lived for these days... And the day was fast approaching when the girl would need him no longer.

She was already as strong as himself when she fought with all her skill and determination, and though they had lasted together for nearly a decade, it was only a matter of time before someone connected her name to his and she ended up in the Bingo books. Maybe even soon, if any of the Konoha team escaped.

Zabuza had reasons to live, and he had reasons to die. So he chose to ignore his own opinion on the matter and approached the problem from a more practical direction: Fight his battles with all he had and let the future worry about itself.

With both ninja motivated to fight at their peak, and their pokemon equally willing, the battle raged once more.

Zabuza abandoned his preferred assassination strategy, knowing it would be all but useless against Kakashi and his allies. He instead chose to remain on or near Lapras at all times, only leaving the pokemon when she submerged, sending out multiple water clones whenever she did to sow chaos among his foes.

He also continued spending chakra to maintain the fog, though he only expected it to minimize his ninjutsu focused opponent's long ranged options.

Lapras was a considerable threat in her own right. While most of her attacks required her to breath or at least face her mouth toward the target, her long and graceful neck supplied all the directionality needed.

However, she was at her most deadly when submerged. From deep underwater she could launch most attacks from complete concealment. And when she inevitably resurfaced, she usually did so with her spinning horn aimed to spit one of the fighters, or by leaping clear out of the water and smashing down on Absol's frozen pathways. _(Body Slam)_

Though he was usually fast enough to avoid Lapras' attacks, Absol was clearly the weak link of Kakashi's side of the battle.

The pokemon had demonstrated an elemental variety nearly Kakashi's equal, and a mastery with his scythe-like horn that would put a kenjutsu master to shame.

But he was the only creature involved in the fight truly hampered by the watery terrain, having to spend more effort simply freezing platforms for him to fight from than in actual combat.

Lapras took full advantage of this fact, and often followed her ice breaking attacks by harassing Absol whenever he ended up in the water. Only his natural agility allowed him to escape a bloody revenge each time that happened.

With Zabuza largely on the defensive, it fell to Kakashi to set the pace for the battle, and unfortunately the missing-nin turned out to be a tough nut to crack.

Between the damnable mist and their constant drifting, it was all but impossible to hit them with from further away than a few meters, and any movement within that range was responded to as soon as the water-loving duo sensed him.

He wasn't even safe on the ice, for while Zabuza couldn't hear the splash of footsteps on water, Lapras quickly learned to identify him and Absol through the ripples radiating from the ice sinking beneath them.

It was by no means a perfect method of location, even for a pokemon so closely linked to both water and ice, but Lapras had no problem sweeping a line of that pressurized water across the entire area she expected him to be.

The easiest way to neutralize Lapras' ranged advantage was to close in, where one could attack faster than she could reorient herself... and where Zabuza waited.

The missing-nin's greater strength, and much greater reach was put to perfect use there, and by letting Lapras handle most ranged attacks he conserved chakra to maintain his concealing jutsu.

Kakashi got the feeling the two had perfected this strategy against hunter ninja, and could easily hold off a full squad of jounin in this way.

More importantly, he had a feeling that they could keep this up far longer than he could keep fighting at full capacity. He could feel the sharingan's steady drain, and wasn't willing to bet the fight on whether or not Zabuza's mist was more expensive.

He was also unwilling to risk replacing his headband, since he knew he could need the eye's advantage at a moment's notice. Particularly after the surprise one of the clones gave him, jetting out from the water beneath his feet and nearly splitting him in half from crotch up.

And above it all, unfazed and nearly untouchable, soared Haunter.

The ghostly pokemon floated about, taunting the pair from Kiri and playing it's mischievous games.

Zabuza learned the hard way that normal weapons couldn't hurt the pokemon. Simple kunai and shuriken passed through unhindered. But whenever it ventured too close, he swiped at it with Kubikiri Houcho, and the ghost retreated with an angry hiss.

Zabuza considered the sword, formed of chakra-bonded steel, and had a hunch.

Drawing a few of his shuriken, Zabuza channeled a bit of chakra into them and flung them at the retreating pokemon, eliciting a screech of pain when they punched through the insubstantial creature.

Haunter turned, eyes glowing red, and Zabuza braced himself in expectation of an attack, but Haunter continued to float away giggling madly. _(Confuse Ray)_

It wasn't long before Zabuza remembered why he hated ghosts, when Lapras launched him from her shell with a point blank Hydropump.

Haunter cackled gleefully at the successful trick, until Lapras yanked him out of the air and to within Zabuza's reach, trapped within a bubble of pink energy. _(Psychic)_

Zabuza swept his giant blade through both bubble and pokemon, and Haunter shrieked in pain.

But what would have been a mortal attack on a corporeal creature was merely a grave injury to the spectral pokemon, and it fled, using it's already disembodied hands to keep the split halves of it's face together.

Zabuza and Lapras were too busy fending off an opportunistic assault from Haunter's allies to try finishing it off.

* * *

Kakashi went on the offensive the instant he heard Zabuza hit the water, knowing that he and Lapras were separated for however brief a time.

He burst through the mist behind Zabuza just in time to watch as his cleaver bisected the pokemon.

Rage displaced Kakashi's perpetual calm demeanor, and he attacked with a fury.

A kunai in each hand, he slashed, stabbed, spun, and kicked at the missing-nin, driving the man further from his partner with each second.

Through his anger, Kakashi knew he had to keep the pair separated, and hoped Absol had found a way to prevent Lapras from coming to her partner's aid.

* * *

Zabuza cursed as he fell back beneath Kakashi's onslaught. He'd let himself get too distracted with that damn ghost and let the jounin get a drop on him. Unseen in the distance, Lapras cried out, and he assumed that Absol had resumed it's ill fated attacks.

Thankfully, Kakashi had only landed with one of his opening stabs, which skittered off a rib rather than punching through and opening his lung. The other he had managed to block with his backswing.

It had also taken the Missing-nin a moment to remember to close his eyes once more, since he'd opened them to find Haunter, but realized the mistake when he caught himself considering just smashing Kakashi with his strongest jutsu.

He snapped his eyes shut and the half-formed hypnotic suggestion vanished instantly.

Kakashi kept up the momentum of his attacks, even after his anger had played itself out. He sent chakra to his muscles, maintaining his attacks' ferocity while his calmer mind increased their precision.

Having spent the only two kunai he still owned from his time in Kiri, Zabuza could not match Kakashi blade for blade, but Kubikiri Houcho's size made up the difference quite nicely.

They fought that way for long minutes, the ring of steel on steel interrupted only rarely by a hiss or grunt of pain as one managed to slip an attack through the other's guard.

As the first minute passed, Zabuza's thoughts turned to Lapras. There had been a huge crash near the bridge, but he could still hear her fighting.

He shook away his worry to focus on his fight. Lapras was tough, and even if Absol or Haunter had found a way to keep her occupied, there was no way they could beat her, not surrounded by this much water.

He heard the distinctive sound of Lapras' Hydropump, and the splash of a large object striking water. Moments after, Absol howled in response as the sound of shifting rubble echoed across the water and Zabuza grinned smugly.

Deciding to break the stalemate by shunshining away and returning to Lapras under cover of stealth, Zabuza reached for his chakra and found it depleting much faster than he would have expected.

He had felt the mist jutsu taking more chakra, but hadn't realized quite how bad it was. It was certainly a lot more than he would have used extending the mist to account for how far he'd moved fighting Kakashi.

Like most enduring jutsu, it took more energy to begin the technique than to maintain it. However, the mist jutsu's chakra consumption tended to vary by a significant degree based on environmental factors.

He'd chosen his battleground to minimize most of those concerns: It had a ready supply of water to vaporize, and the bridge acted as a near perfect windbreak.

Concentrating on the jutsu, he tried to map out the areas of excess drain. It was easier than he expected.

To his dismay, the entire length and breadth of the technique was reverting to 'creation mode' without his notice.

A few random spots like that popping up within the jutsu was normal, as the mist thinned below it's assigned density from wind or other factors... but he'd never seen quite this pattern of dispersal before... It was thinning outward from a central location...

In a shock of revelation, he cut the thread of his energy leading to the jutsu and looked to the sky, careful to avoid Kakashi's red-eyed gaze.

The fog cleared in seconds, sucked into the sky by a massive vaporous funnel, the top of which was capped by an ugly looking stormcloud. Barely visible within the funnel, Haunter floated, facing the sky while his hands revolved around him like electrons on an atom. _(Rain Dance)_

As if sensing it's observer, Haunter turned it's evil expression towards Zabuza and grinned in an even more wicked fashion.

When the last of the mist had been collected, Haunter's hands swept down and the heavens opened up, dropping rain in buckets.

Movement caught Zabuza's eye, and he turned to see Absol standing on an ice flow and staring at a mound of stone under the bridge, looking as happy as a cat in a bath.

The mound exploded in a rain of ice and rubble, to reveal Lapras, looking a bit worse for wear due to her time under the stone. _(Absol: Rock Tomb to trap her, Rock Slide to repair her attempts to escape. Lapras: Avalanche to break it all at once.)_

She turned her head agitatedly, seeking the pokemon that had ensnared her, and when she spotted Absol, drew in an angry breath.

She released that breath in a cone of super-chilled air that froze the very waves in motion, and would have done the same to Absol, had he not leapt away once more. _(Sheer Cold)_

Absol howled to the sky plaintively, as Lapras inhaled once more, her eyes flashing with righteous wrath, but Absol's call was answered first.

Lightning sparked from sky to sea, with Lapras as the conduit between them. _(Thunder)_

The breath Lapras had intended to spell Absol's doom instead blew out in a scream. Her cry of pain lasted until the illuminating beam of light faded, and she sank, insensate, below the waves.

Zabuza roared in anger and blasted Kakashi away with a backhand slap of his blade that shattered both kunai he'd tried to block it with and took off after Absol.

Kakashi rolled to his feet on the water, grunting with pain as he sent reinforcing chakra to the cracked bones in his forearms and chest. Acting quickly, he shunshined to his partner, believing that the enraged missing-nin was too much for either to handle alone.

He was correct.

Unlike Kakashi, the longer Zabuza fought, the angrier and more ferocious his attacks became.

Blocking his sweeping and chopping sword was virtually impossible, and even deflecting it grew more difficult by the second. More expensive too, as Kakashi realized from the number of shattered kunai he discarded.

Kakashi knew, beyond doubt, that it would take luck and flawless teamwork to defeat the missing-nin now.

* * *

"That's the last of them..." Sakura said, rising to her feet and brushing sweat from her forehead.

She and Tazuna had spent the last few minutes moving the unconscious workers out of the fog and doing what they could to treat their injuries. Not that there was much to do.

Knowing what she did of Zabuza, she was amazed that he'd restrained himself so much. The giant man was easily strong enough that killing a civilian was probably easier than just knocking them out, especially with that huge sword of his.

She had burned a fair portion of her chakra spitting out a meter high wall of mud, which quickly hardened to clay, for herself and Tazuna to hide behind while they treated the injured. The bridge builder looked slightly nauseated at the sight of her vomiting the jutsu, but she maintained an appearance of professionalism despite her own distaste.

She wasn't happy about not being able to fight beside Sasuke, but at least she was doing something productive, rather than standing around worrying about him.

Eevee perched on top of the barrier, and kept a sharp eye out while her partner worked, Tazuna hovering near them both behind cover. She yipped at something, and the two humans responded.

"What the heck is that?" Tazuna asked loudly, peering over the wall to where Sasuke and Haku were.

"Stay down!" Sakura scolded, grabbing a fistful of the man's shirt and pulling him back. "You need to be careful, you never know when they might... attack... What the...?"

The girl trailed off as she peeked over the wall herself, spotting the crystalline dome now hiding her admired and his foe.

Most of the fog above the bridge had dissipated, and even from this distance she could see the occasional flash of flame induced light slipping through the structure's cracks.

"That's not something Sasuke-kun can do," Sakura said nervously. "It must be one of the girl's jutsu."

"Is it a bad one?" Tazuna asked, to his admittedly inexperienced eyes, it seemed to be a pretty impressive feat.

"I don't know," Sakura admitted. "I've never seen or heard about something like that, but I don't see anyone, so they have to be inside it."

"Should you... try helping him out or something?" Tazuna asked nervously.

Sakura almost took that suggestion, even bracing her hand on the wall in preparation to vault over it, but she forced the impulse away.

"No. Sasuke-kun is strong, he'll win for sure," she replied with forced confidence. "Besides, I have to stay close, just in case someone tries to attack you while Kakashi-sensei is busy."

"You don't really think there's anyone else coming after me... do you?" Tazuna asked, ducking down quickly and staring down the path away from the bridge, his nerves obviously on edge.

"I don't know..." Sakura admitted. "I wouldn't think so, but then I wouldn't have expected fighting ninja on this mission before we left Konoha either."

Tazuna had the decency to flush at the jab. "Sorry..." He apologized in quiet humiliation.

"We decided to continue the mission, knowing the risks," Sakura reassured him. "But if Sasuke-kun gets hurt, Gato won't get a chance to kill you." She smiled at him in a manner Naruto had long associated with incoming pain.

Tazuna shivered at the expression in her eyes, and turned his own eyes back to the frozen dome.

The flickering light of fire techniques continued, and periodically they saw a strange pokemon circle the dome. It was obvious that Sasuke and Charmander still fought, and that had to be a good sign, right?

After a time, the pokemon appeared once more, but instead of circling the dome again, it started floating serenely towards them.

"Stay here, and keep your head down," Sakura ordered her client, as she hopped over the jutsu-formed barrier and threw a trio of shuriken at the approaching threat and drew a kunai. Eevee came around in front of her, growling as threateningly as she could.

Froslass swept one wing-like arm toward her, releasing a line of frozen needles, half of which intercepted the shuriken, while the rest imbedded themselves in the clay wall beneath Tazuna's peeking eyes.

The bridge builder ducked back down with a yelp of fear.

Eevee sidestepped the falling weapons and threw herself at the enemy pokemon... only to feel her muscles lock from cold as she passed right through Froslass' body. _(Ability: Cursed Body, Non-standard)_

"Eevee!" Sakura cried, seeing her partner hit the ground in a stiff pile. She swung at the still oncoming pokemon, but Froslass didn't even hesitate, floating through her weapon heedlessly, releasing another set of needles as she did.

Sakura dodged to the side, avoiding the attack and spinning a backhand punch to the back of Froslass' large head, drawing in a hiss of pain as her hand too passed through the pokemon.

She scooped Eevee up in her free arm and darted over to the wall, shaking her cold-numbed hand.

"Warm her up," She ordered Tazuna, handing him Eevee over the wall as she turned back to the steadily approaching pokemon, mind frantically working to find some way to stop it.

Froslass continued her slow approach, not eager to end the bridge builder's life, but willing to do as her partner needed.

Sakura's thoughts raced, the pokemon had deflected her shuriken, but ignored the kunai when it connected. When she or Eevee touched it, they got hurt more than it did, if it even noticed them.

Unfortunately, no matter how she considered it, she could think of only one option: Her new jutsu.

Running through her handsigns, she tried to imagine the most effective use for the technique. She dismissed the ideas of surrounding either Tazuna or the pokemon, both because she wasn't sure it would work, and because she wasn't sure she'd be able to complete it with the chakra she had.

Coming to a decision, she channeled the formed chakra into her mouth and fired it into Froslass' face.

To her surprise and pleasure, the attack splashed across it, rather than passing through uselessly.

Froslass swept her hands over her face, scraping the mud off and out of the mask-like holes around her eyes.

She called her name in an annoyed tone, and exhaled a blast of super-chilled air at Sakura. _(Frost Breath)_

Sakura dove behind her wall, which groaned and cracked audibly when the remaining moisture in the clay froze under the effects of the pokemon's attack.

Despite the circumstances, Sakura couldn't help herself. She laughed loudly, and Tazuna stared at her like she was insane..

"Stay down, and try to keep away from the broken spots," she ordered him, smiling widely as she ran through her handsigns again.

The recovering Eevee thrilled at her as she slipped to a new section of wall further from Tazuna and vaulted over, firing another mouthful of mud as she did.

Sakura and Froslass continued their battle, circling and blasting attacks at each other. Ice and earth flew back and forth in a two toned storm.

Sakura knew her chakra supply was still limited, despite her recent training, so she had to make her attacks count, even trying to vary the elemental balance in her favor.

Despite the fight, despite her fear, even despite the grit of sand in her mouth, Sakura continued smiling.

This was the first time in her life she could honestly say she was acting like a ninja, and she couldn't believe how good it made her feel.

The knowledge that she was all that stood between Tazuna and a cold death was both terrifying and empowering, and she was surprised to find that the thought of running away didn't even occur to her.

She and Froslass were both muddy and soaked when Eevee joined the fray once more, sweeping the mud into the air and using it to fuel her sand attacks.

Between the globs of mud splashing into her face and the floating dust, Froslass' aim was hopelessly obstructed, and even her wind attacks weren't enough to clear it for long.

But Froslass wasn't idle, or even obstructed for long, unleashing an attack that she didn't need to aim. Froslass spread her arms and closed her eyes, and a blue light infused her.

Sakura hesitated in her attacks, preparing to move to wherever Froslass might teleport to.

Sakura's first indication that the glow wasn't the kind she was familiar with was when a ball of ice the size of a marble bounced off her forehead. _(Hail)_

Before that one hit the ground, scores more filled the sky, raining down around Froslass from a cloud hovering a dozen meters above her head.

Sakura and Eevee were forced back onto the defensive by the bludgeoning storm, with Eevee trying to take cover underneath her partner.

Froslass opened her eyes, and turned her melancholy stare on the pair who had been such a hindrance to her orders.

She raised her arms into the air, calling her name softly, and released an impossible amount of snow and sleet from her palms. The attack shot into the air, before curving down and wrapping the two in it's icy embrace. _(Blizzard)_

Sakura dropped down, pulling Eevee in towards her and trying to combine their dwindling body heat to fight the attack. She wanted to move, to escape the bone soaking cold, but she couldn't force herself to, the water at her feet had instantly frozen to her sandals, and ice was forming on her hunched form.

When Froslass ended the attack, Sakura huddled miserably around Eevee. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, but she took some comfort in the fact that her partner's fur was barely frosted in comparison.

The pokemon licked her face, attempting to reassure her.

Froslass brought her hands down, once more wiping mud from her face, and turned away from the two and towards her true target.

Tazuna, who had been peeking over the wall to watch the fight, let out a heavy sigh.

To the surprise of those watching, he stood and plodded around the wall, and once clear raised his head to look at the pokemon, spreading his arms in surrender.

"Alright, you got me." He said, looking the pokemon in the eyes. "I give up, just let these super kids go. They were just doing their job, right?"

"S-s-stop! T-Taz-zuna!" Sakura called, shivering uncontrollably.

Tazuna turned a sombre look on the girl, "I can't just run and let you kids die for my dream... Not like it'd save me anyway."

Froslass cooed her name sadly, but pointed one small hand at the bridge builder, a blue ball of energy appearing in it, and pulsing brightly. _(Ice beam)_

Stone erupted at Froslass' feet as she fired, and instead of hitting Tazuna square in the face, it clipped his hair and continued on uselessly.

Tazuna fell on his backside, quivering with fear as a hand shot to his head, feeling the needle-like spikes that used to be hair. His fear dissipated instantly when he saw what had caused the pokemon to miss...

Charmeleon pulled himself out of the hole he created, grinning victoriously at Froslass as she picked herself off the ground and glowered at him.

"MY BRIDGE!" Tazuna screamed in shock, his eyes locked on the substantial hole bored into his pride-and-joy.

"Ch-Charmand-der?" Sakura asked, fighting the cold still.

The vicious looking pokemon cocked an eye at her, then blasted a line of flame, melting the ice and steaming her skin pink.

Uncomfortable as the soggy clothes were, it was infinitely better than the situation she had just left.

"Thanks, Char." She said, not certain what his new name might be.

"Charmeleon!" The pokemon replied, turning it's gaze once more to it's chosen opponent, ignoring the ice falling from the sky around him.

"Tazuna, get behind the wall and stay there." Sakura ordered, "And no more stupid decisions. If you try that crap again, I'll tie you up and bury you until we're done."

The old man swallowed thickly, and crawled back, Sakura wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear him sobbing about his bridge while he did.

Charmeleon turned a challenging glare on Froslass, flexing it's powerful claws and lowering itself aggressively.

Froslass floated back a few feet and brought one wing-like arm held across her body defensively, in her other an orb of translucent black energy formed. _(Shadow Ball)_

Charmeleon hissed as flames flickered around his jaws, and his eyes narrowed as he watched his opponent vigilantly.

As if moving at an unseen signal, Charmander charged, just as Froslass threw the ball of ghost-energy she'd created.

Charmeleon released a quick burst of flame, causing Froslass to flinch back, and he dodged the attack, closing in before she'd recovered.

He clamped his fangs onto Froslass' defending arm and wrapped his arms around the taller pokemon, trying to drag her to the ground. Frost tried to form on his jaws and claws, but he channeled heat into his attack to overpower it. _(Fire Fang)_

Froslass cried out as the pokemon's teeth and claws cut into her, but she quickly regained her composure, calling on her spectral nature to release a whirlwind of foul air to surround her. _(Ominous Wind)_

Charmeleon's fires flickered dangerously as some of the fumes fueling the windstorm ignited, though more dangerous for him were the chunks of ice being blown at him by the guided gusts.

Charmeleon was eventually forced to release Froslass, though he fired off another blast of flame as he leapt backwards.

The wind surrounding Froslass compressed around her, and her eyes flashed a faint purple as it died out. _(Ominous Wind: Stat enhance effect)_

She slapped her arms forward, releasing a wave of ice needles at Charmeleon, who exhaled a cloud of black smoke, obscuring her sight. _(Smoke screen)_

Froslass swept her arms to her sides once more, and a chill wind blew away the interfering smog, but only revealed another hole in the bridge.

She lifted herself further into the air, turning her attention to the ground beneath her feet in preparation for his return, but was caught broadside by his Flamethrower, as Charmeleon climbed over the edge of the bridge from the exit he'd created in it's side.

Charmeleon crossed his arms, growling his name, and dark energy flowed down then and into his claws, leaving them stronger and sharper than they were before. _(Hone claws)_

Froslass raised her own to the sky, and called on her Blizzard attack once more.

The storm of ice crashed into Charmeleon like an flood, and it engulfed him despite his advantageous nature.

Within the freezing tempest, Charmeleon flared his power, stomping his feet angrily and howling his rage to the sky.

Dismissed by the current combatants, Sakura and Eevee watched in awe as Froslass intensified her attack in response to the increasing light within. With a sharp cry of her name, even the hailstones joined the assault on Charmeleon, redirecting themselves in the sky and leaping of their own accord from the ground where they had come to rest. _(Avalanche)_

But it was all for naught, and with a boom like thunder, the cage of wind and ice surrounding Charmeleon exploded, revealing the pokemon himself to be fully encased in a sphere of flame.

He grinned viciously at Froslass, and threw himself at her, streaking into the sky like a miniature comet. _(Flame Charge)_

He hit hard, too fast for Froslass to dodge, claws digging gouges into her bone-like mask, then kicked off her and into the sky, never releasing the sphere of energy surrounding him.

Froslass fell, until she salvaged her concentration enough to resume her levitation... but Charmeleon just slammed into her with the attack once more, this time plowing her into the bridge personally.

Dropping the immolating shell, Charmeleon stabbed his claws through the wing portions of her arms, eliciting a whimper of pain from her. He ignored her discomfort, and the frost forming where he was touching her, and charged up a full flamethrower inches from Froslass' face.

Froslass looked into Charmeleon's eyes, tried to apply one of the staples abilities of her ghost kin, but couldn't focus through the pain enough to slip the hallucination inducing Confuse Ray into his psyche.

Knowing that any other attack she attempted would be met with potentially fatal force, Froslass let her body go limp, surrendering the battle and relinquishing the victor's prize.

Charmeleon turned his head to the sky and roared out his victory along with a burst of flame. Eevee joined him, thrilling her name happily as she felt the won energy fill her almost to bursting.

* * *

Naruto shifted awkwardly, wishing Haku wasn't wearing that darn mask... He'd give a weeks worth of ramen to know what she was thinking right now.

"You should leave," Haku said, in a manner that made it seem like she wanted the idea out in the open before she thought it through. "Take your friends and go. Just leave and please don't come back."

"You know I can't do that," Naruto said, quiet determination ringing in his voice.

"If Tazuna dies, our contract with Gato will be over..." Haku implored, turning her back to him and staring over the fog shrouded sea, it was hard enough thinking like this without looking at those expressive eyes of his. "You can take your friends and go home... Zabuza-sama isn't really interested in you... but if you're here when he finishes with Kakashi... Please, leave."

Haku knew she was disobeying her master's orders, but he wouldn't press her if she told him they had escaped... even if she let them.

"No." Naruto answered, his voice hardening into pure steel "I won't let you help that bastard hurt these people anymore. You're not a bad person, Haku, I can tell. But if you help Gato crush these people's dreams, you'll be no better than him. I'll kick your butt myself before I let you do somethin' like that."

"You think you can stop me?" Haku asked, forcing her voice to replicate the cold detachment she certainly didn't feel. "May I remind you that I defeated Uchiha-san, a ninja whom you admitted to be better than you."

"I said the Teme was stronger," Naruto corrected. "An' he is, but I'm catchin' up fast. I think I'm plenty strong enough to stop you, thanks to the Teme wearin' you down a bit."

Rather than respond, Haku spun to face him once more, her cracked mask seeming somehow more menacing.

Between the two, three senbon floated, glowing slightly. Ralts blinked and Haku's weapons dropped to the ground with a faint clatter.

"I tried to be generous," Haku said softly. "Tried to repay your friendship in kind, but my first loyalty is to Zabuza-sama. His goals are my own, and if I must go through you to complete them... so be it."

_"Those words pain her..."_ Ralts told her partner, red eyes locked on their opponent.

"I gotcha," he replied to both females, shifting his weight into a lose combat stance.

Haku shook her wrist, and a trio of senbon appeared in each hand.

The two stood their ground, each waiting for the other to make the first move, the first action that might shatter their barely formed bond of friendship.

The stare-off lasted until a huge crash rocked the bridge, evidence of her master's continuing battle, Haku managed to bolster her resolve once more, and she charged the boy with disturbing silence.

Naruto rushed at her too, screaming out in sharp contrast to her stillness.

They met in a clash of fists and claws, as Haku slashed and stabbed with the needles held between her knuckles.

When they separated once more, Haku could feel bruises forming from the boy's surprisingly hard punches, but his flesh was criss-crossed with scratches.

Without a word, she launched the bloody needles at him, drawing more and darting in immediately after. She was forced to dodge her own projectiles, as Ralts turned them on her, but the pokemon proved incapable of aiming them properly as Naruto moved around with her in the carrier, so she released them.

The two fought fiercely, but a neutral observer would note that it held the impression of a spar more than a battle for their lives, as neither one seemed willing to strike a blow that might prove too permanent.

The second time they separated, Ralts felt something odd in Haku's emotional footprint... sorrow, fear, hope, remorse...

"Good bye, Naruto..." Haku whispered sadly, her hands flashing through a series of signs.

**"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles!" **She intoned. Before the needles had even fired off, she turned and sprinted away.

Naruto leapt straight up, dodging in the one direction needles weren't appearing from. "What happened?" He wondered aloud, watching Haku's retreat.

Movement in the air with him drew his attention, and he looked to see a strange pokemon get smacked with a jet of flames, he followed the line of attack to see Charmander climb over the side of the bridge, wondering for a moment how the pokemon managed to climb with his tiny hands...

_"Tazuna!" _Ralts realized, noticing that Haku's route would take her straight to the bridge builder.

"Dammit!" Naruto swore, and he fell to the ground. "Ralts! Can you get us there first?"

Instead of a reply, Ralts sent him a mental image and began glowing quicker than she ever had before.

Naruto smiled grimly, and spun to punch the empty air behind him, trusting his partner implicitly.

In the span of time between the order and his fist finding it's full reach, the familiar blue flash of teleportation blinded him, but the sudden pain in his hand and the answering cry of feminine pain and sound of breaking porcelain told him Ralts' aim had been true.

He blinked his eyes to quicken the process of his eyes clearing, wondering if there'd be a way to eliminate that stupid problem. It'd be a cool trick to use, but being blind in a real fight would suck.

He moved to where he could hear Haku, watching as the blue-on-brown blob that was her damaged kimono resolved into it's true shape. The girl was sitting on the bridge, her head hanging.

"Why? Why do you keep stopping me!" She demanded to know, shards falling from her broken mask with each word. Naruto could hear tears in her voice, though he couldn't see any falling.

"It's the right thing to do," he replied. "You're my friend, right? Well, friends help each other, an' if it was me who was gonna do somethin' stupid, I'd expect you to stop me too."

Haku sniffled and looked up at him, he winced when he saw her bleeding, both from her nose and a network of deep slashes from her shattered disguise.

She laughed quietly, despite herself. He was so soft-hearted, empathizing with an enemy just because... because they were friends, right?

She looked up when she heard him approach, and to her surprise he knelt before her, frowning in concentration as his hands ghosted across her face, removing the slivers of porcelain that were forced into her skin by his attack.

He was so close, so vulnerable in his concern for her, that she could have gutted him with a single swipe.

A single gesture and the fight would be over for good, Zabuza's dream would be that much closer to completion... but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Their faces bare inches apart, she couldn't help but notice the way those guileless blue eyes swept across her face, locking onto her own often, though he quickly looked away once more.

She realized the boy was blushing, and felt her own cheeks heat up in response.

Haku closed her eyes blocking him out of her mind as much as she could without forcing him to stop his ministrations. She was embarrassed at the reaction he provoked in her, but it felt... nice... being cared for like that.

Zabuza-sama was never one for pampering, he'd have just ordered her to clean herself up and went back to whatever he'd been doing.

It had been his way of toughening her up, she knew, and he had been a lot more accommodating when she'd been hurt in ways that she couldn't fix herself. Which happened often enough in their later training, but she never really felt comfortable with him cossetting her, he had done so much just giving her life back, she was already indebted to him far more than she could ever repay..

But Naruto... her enemy... her friend...

It was strange, his fingers trailing over her forehead and cheeks, even her chin and neck... it felt so comforting...

He wasn't doing it because she was his responsibility, not because he owed her, not for any practical reason other than that he wanted to help her... His friend.

He was unique, one of a kind, she knew that now.

No other ninja in the world would stop fighting to help a person who had proven to be their enemy, who had spied on them and betrayed them, regardless of how little information she had been able to supply her master.

Zabuza-sama would have killed her horribly if she had done to him as she had to Naruto. She expected Kakashi would do no less, and she knew firsthand the Uchiha's petty cruelty.

"I think I got 'em all..." Naruto said, rocking back onto his heels to look at her as she composed herself. He was a bit relieved that Haku was so tolerant, he'd expected her to hit him at any second, the way Sakura-chan would have.

Haku gathered her composure together, her face hot, despite acutely feeling the absence of Naruto's warm fingers tracing across her.

"You might wanna put some alcohol on those, just in case you got an infection or somethin'... your face is kinda red... Sorry," Naruto said, bobbing his head in a quick apologetic bow.

Haku blinked at him in surprise, before smiling at his ignorance. At least he wasn't going to make things difficult for her.

Ralts' eyes revealed far too much understanding for her comfort though.

With considerable effort, she forced away the complicated knot of emotions she was feeling now... though the warm glow in her belly refused to vanish completely.

"I... Thank you, Naruto-san... but you know I cannot stop trying to kill the bridge builder..." Haku tried to explain.

"Hey! I beat ya fair an' square! You even ran away, that means I win," he declared stubbornly. "I'd've already tied your hands or somethin', but I ran out of wire tyin' up those sword-jerks that attacked Tsunami an' Inari."

Before Haku could find her tongue after that statement, lost somewhere between the declaration of intended bondage and the names she knew she should recognize, a roar split the air, underscored by a warbling cry.

_"Charmeleon and Eevee won. They are well, and Froslass is injured, but lives," _Ralts informed her partner, having contacted the pokemon in question the instant she recognized his voice.

"Char... meleon?" Naruto began, looking to his pokemon to verify the strange name, when she nodded in approval, he explained to Haku's stare. "Charmeleon beat your pokemon, Ralts says Froslass is hurt but alive."

"She lost?" Haku breathed incredulously. "We were both defeated... What will Zabuza-sama say?" She wrapped her arms around herself, chilled by the knowledge that she had failed so completely.

"Bah!" Naruto scoffed. "You had to fight the future Hokage, there was no way you could win! Though I guess Sasuke helped a little... very little..." He elaborated, pinching his fingers together as if to demonstrate how little he meant.

Haku looked at the boy in disbelief. Even the most biased of critics would have to give the Uchiha credit for how well he fought, but she caught the mischievous twinkle in Naruto's eyes and realized he had intentionally fudged the details in an attempt to cheer her up.

'It's not that simple," she replied quietly. "Zabuza-sama raised me to be his secret weapon, his unbeatable trump card, for when he returns to Kirigakure... But if I can be beaten so easily, and by genin no less, then I have failed in my purpose... and without that purpose... what use am I?"

"Well that's a stupid way of lookin' at things," Naruto remarked bluntly. "Besides, me an' Teme kicked Zabuza's butt too, remember?"

Haku could just imagine Zabuza-sama's reaction if she tried to remind him of those events when they inevitably discussed her failure. It was both amusing and depressing all at once.

"And didn't you say he was like a dad to you?" Naruto continued in a more reserved voice, "dads don't stop wantin' ya, just cause you mess up... Least that's what I'm told..."

"Sometimes they do..." Haku whispered hoarsely, remembering her birth father.

"Well... If he does a bastard thing like that... You can come back to Konoha with us!" Naruto realized. "I can introduce you to Teuchi-jisan an' Ayame-neechan! An' Touji an' Iruka-sensei, and even the Hughes family! I'll have to take you to meet Jiji too... It'd be great!"

Naruto turned his enthusiastic expression to Haku's increasingly despondent one. "Except for the Zabuza havin' to be a jerk thing, I mean..." He clarified lamely.

Haku walked to the edge of the bridge, head held so low she could see little more than her feet.

"Zabuza-sama is all I have." She explained, knowing Naruto was staying close. "He is my master, my teacher, my family... and until recently, the closest thing to a friend I had... Without him, I don't know what I would do."

"It must be tough," Naruto said, stepping up beside her. "I kinda know how it is, being alone like that... But you got a friend now, an' I'm sure if we think about it, we can find a way to fix this, right?"

"Zabuza-sama will not forfeit the mission, not without a very good reason... and my defeat isn't enough." Haku answered.

"Yeah, an' we can't just let Tazuna take the fall either. He's a good guy, for a grumpy ol' drunk anyway." Naruto replied looking out over the jounin's fog filled battleground.

"The heck is that?" Naruto asked after a moment, pointing out at a strangely twisting bubble of mist rising up from the fog bank.

Haku glanced up from her quiet worry, and frowned. As the two watched, Haunter burst from the deformation, hands twisting around himself and cackling maliciously.

Rather than settle back to it's natural form, the fog followed the ghostly pokemon into the sky, condensing with almost unbelievable speed into an ominous stormcloud.

"What's Haunter doin'?" Naruto wondered aloud once more, as the pokemon continued pulling the mist into the air.

"It looks like a Rain dance..." Haku mused in puzzlement. "It could be trying to get rid of the mist, but that's not a wise way to do it. Water style attacks become more powerful in rain, which could give Zabuza-sama even more of an advantage. Why would your sensei let his pokemon do such a thing?"

"Haunter ain't his, it just follows him around since it used to be his friend's. Kakashi-sensei says it don't listen to him much. Don't think we'd have passed the last test if it did," Naruto answered absently, he was intently watching the way the clouds moved, spiraling faster and faster. He was sure that would make an awesome wind jutsu if he could just figure out how to do it...

"So strange..." Haku commented, wondering what it would feel like to have something like that stalking her. She shuddered involuntarily when the creepy creature looked towards her and Naruto, though Ralts waved happily and it grinned grotesquely in response.

Below the column of clouds, the mist had finally cleared as Zabuza released the technique hiding him.

Naruto needlessly pointed out the two humans. Haku thanked him anyway, he was trying to help, and wasn't as used to seeing through the fog as she was.

That advantage became a moot point though, as the sky opened up and released it's liquid harvest. Haku was impressed with the sheer size of Haunter's storm, Froslass couldn't create one even half that size yet.

She turned her eyes to the deep water, looking for the shadow that was usually the only tell-tale of Lapras' submerged presence, but was still searching when an explosion of ice and stone revealed the pokemon's formerly trapped location.

The enraged saurian attacked Absol with a vengeance, but the agile feline leapt from one small iceberg to another, howling to the sky which seemed to quiver in response.

Haku paled as she remembered that one other element was enhanced by the effects of a storm.

Lightning flashed, a literal stones-throw away, and Lapras shrieked, a shrill sound that seemed to take residence in Haku's heart, filling it with worry for the pokemon who first taught her to harness her ice nature.

The lightning faded, and Haku watched Lapras sink below the water with dazzled eyes. Beside her, Naruto complained in annoyance about being blinded again.

Haku watched for Lapras to resurface, anxiety building as the seconds slipped past. Naruto finally noticed her concern when she stood and he grabbed her arm before she could leap into the water herself.

"What're you doin'?" He asked. "That's gotta be a forty foot fall!"

"I have to help her!" Haku answered angrily, "Lapras can't breath underwater!"

Realization dawned on Naruto, but before he could reply, Haku tore herself free and leapt over the edge of the bridge.

Naruto looked down into the water, where Haku disappeared with a considerable splash. Her dark-blue kimono floated to the surface nearby, evidence that she had realized the hindrance the loose outfit would pose and freed herself of it.

Naruto shrugged out of Ralts' carrier and his own jacket. "Ralts-chan, I gotta go help Haku. You go tell Sakura-chan what's goin' on. If you can, take Sasuke to her too, she should know what to do."

_"Okay..." _Ralts replied hesitantly. _"Be careful, Naruto. Zabuza is... very, very angry right now."_

"Will do," Naruto replied, giving her a wide grin, and leaping after Haku.

Ralts sent a weary look at her reckless partner, before making her way to the unconscious Uchiha, half dragging the carrier which was a bit too much for her to completely lift via Confusion. She was somewhat relieved that her partner hadn't expected her to join him down there, swimming wasn't something she could ever really excel at.

The two disappeared in a blue flash which was answered by a scream of fear from their pink-haired teammate.

* * *

Haku struggled out of the waterlogged kimono, releasing the long obi to the deeps, weighted down as it was by the hundreds of needles hidden within it's secret folds.

She swam down, her sweater and thick split-skirt quickly succumbing to the water, dragging against her movements.

She heard a heavy slap and looked up, to find Naruto paddling down after her, a grimace of pain on his face and his jacket gone for the first time since she met him, revealing the black shirt he apparently wore beneath it.

She smiled at him in exasperation when he flashed her a huge smile and a thumbs up. She returned to her descent, rolling her eyes as Naruto caught up, thanks largely to his less absorbent clothes.

Haku found Lapras on the bottom, twenty meters down, half hidden by a muddy cloud and sunk to above her flippers into the bottom of the silt sea floor.

They shared a worried look and tried to lift the pokemon free. When that proved futile, Haku tried without success to wake her.

Naruto waved to catch her attention, then pointed up and to each of them, she reluctantly nodded, and followed him to the surface, where he gulped air greedily.

"She's stuck in there good, isn't she? You got any ideas?" He asked as soon as he felt he could speak without drowning.

"If I could get below her, I might be able make an ice platform to float her on..." Haku considered calmly. "But I'm not sure if I could do it through the sand, and if we try digging her out, she'll just sink deeper..." She trailed off, thinking and chewing on her thumbnail nervously.

Haku felt a pulse of chakra, and turned to Naruto who was facing away from her with an expression of concentration. She felt him do... whatever he'd done a couple more times, though she couldn't see his handsigns or identify his jutsu.

Eventually one of the pulses forcefully shoved him backwards in the water, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"I've got an idea..." Naruto said seriously a moment later "I'm not sure if it'll work though, and you gotta work fast if it does, 'kay?"

"Anything is better than just letting her drown down there," Haku answered in a similar tone, worried for how long Lapras could remain down there without having taken a proper breath.

Rather than answer, Naruto inhaled deeply and dove back down. Haku followed him, amazed once more at how far he was willing to go to help her.

Once on the sea floor, they hovered above Lapras and he crossed his fingers in an unknown handsign. Instantly Haku found herself surrounded by Narutos.

The clones swam down around Lapras, forming chakra with the bird seal before digging their hands under her as far as they could, heedless of how deeply they sunk into the silt floor.

Naruto tapped Haku, and swam over to Lapras' head, which was being supported by another clone, nodding to her in a wordless warning to be ready.

He raised his arm, waited a beat and dropped it fiercely, putting his hands back in the cross sign immediately.

As one, the shadowclones fired off their gale palm jutsu, the wind technique answering sluggishly in the thick environment, but still moving the water according to the fluid dynamics that it was designed to manipulate.

Massive amounts of silt blew out from beneath Lapras, but the pokemon slowly began rising on the upwelling current the Narutos were producing.

Naruto created another batch of clones, who appeared in position between the first ones, immediately repeating the first group's actions, and Lapras rose more swiftly.

Haku ran through her own signs, and an ice mirror formed in the cleared space beneath Lapras, She and what she assumed was the true Naruto grabbed onto Lapras as she lifted them to the surface, sharing similarly happy smiles as they splashed up out of the water.

While Haku checked Lapras, noting with relief that the pokemon began breathing once she'd pried it's mouth open, Naruto looked around, then shifted around to behind Lapras and began kicking the water vigorously.

Haku watched him in confusion, until she realized he was trying to get them to the nearby shore. She shifted around beside him and joined his futile efforts, silently directing the chakra construct to move.

They arrived on the beach, where Haku set Lapras down and let the mirror revert to water.

She turned to Naruto, who ran a hand through his hair, shaking out droplets and grinning at her happily. She smiled back, impressed at how easily they worked together to save her master's pokemon, and at how enthusiastic he'd been to do so.

She looked to Lapras, stroking the unconscious pokemon's shell and she felt her smile fade a little, as confusion welled up once more.

"Somethin' wrong?" Naruto asked worriedly. "We got her up in time, right?"

Haku sighed at how difficult the boy was making it to adhere to her obligations, she had never expected it to be so difficult to fulfill her life debt to Zabuza-sama.

"She is as well as can be expected, though I'd need to wait for her to wake up before I can be certain she is unharmed," Haku answered. Which reminded her that Naruto had said Froslass had been injured in her battle...

She looked at Naruto, who was facing the bridge's entrance with his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face.

He opened his eyes and looked back at her just before a familiar blue flash signified the return of Ralts, and to her surprise, Froslass.

Naruto scooped up his pokemon, holding her close as Froslass floated over to her stunned partner.

"You looked a bit worried so I asked Ralts-chan to bring Froslass over, so you could check her out," Naruto explained. "Ralts-chan said Sakura-chan fixed her up a bit for ya... once she realized it wasn't gonna fight anymore."

Froslass cooed apologetically, as Haku inspected her treated wounds. Nothing seemed permanent, though the trio of holes in each arm were a minor concern. Thankfully, even those were clean punctures and had been both treated and covered by small adhesive bandages.

Haku hugged her partner, petting Froslass' crystalline horns, silently letting her pokemon feel her understanding and forgiveness.

"Thank you, Naruto," Haku said quietly, as she stepped away from Froslass and bowed to the boy.

"Hey, none of that junk," Naruto protested, waving away the formal gratitude. "Friends help each other, like I said earlier. Besides, looks like Kakashi-sensei won, so Zabuza's gotta give up," he said, pointing with his thumb at where the two jounin were finishing their fight in the distance.

Haku straightened instantly, looking over the water towards where Zabuza-sama hung suspended in some unknown technique, thrashing violently under the Absol's attentions.

Naruto's sensei stood a fair distance away, one arm lowered nearly to the sea he stood on, glowing intensely.

She couldn't tell what Kakashi was about to do, but his posture, and the sparking light on his lowered fist seemed to imply that he wasn't interested in taking the her master alive.

Sending Naruto an apologetic look, she brought two fingers up before her face.

She had time enough to watch Ralts' eyes widen in realization, an expression Naruto began to mirror as she vanished in a swirl of water.

* * *

Kakashi tried to monopolize on his opponent's distraction when Zabuza turned with a growl towards the two splashes, as Haku fled into the sea, chased closely by Naruto.

Zabuza had become more vicious and feral as the fight wore on, chakra leaking from him in such dense quantities that it was visible even to his original eye, forming a shape similar to the Oni of legend around him.

Unfortunately, the unusual aura seemed to protect him, slowing Kakashi and Absol's blades as if they were trying to cut through a layer of water much thicker than the chakra seemed to be.

Sadly, the chakra barrier didn't react like water in other ways. Absol had tried hitting the missing-nin with both Ice Beam, and its electrical relative, without obvious effect. _(Charge beam)_

Kakashi palmed a smoke bomb and signaled his pokemon allies, before forming a short string of handsigns while Zabuza was distracted..

The pokemon retreated from the front line, preparing to do it's part in one of their combination attacks.

Haunter noticed the signal, but if it had any intention of playing along, it gave no hint. It simply continued to float around Zabuza, sprinkling blue embers from it's fingertips, apparently fascinated at the way they flared and fizzled out when they came in contact with his aura. _(Will-O-Wisp)_

**"Fire Style: Elemental Coalescence!" **Kakashi intoned quietly, forcing fire chakra to fill the smoke bomb near to bursting as he increased the distractionary chemicals' volatility to dangerous levels.

His preparations as complete, he charged in, leaping over the expected slice to his midsection and stopping the followup chop by catching the huge blade by the large hole punched through it.

He flipped onto the blade, releasing it and the former smokebomb as he kicked out at Zabuza's face from his spot crouched on the dull edge of the zanbato.

As expected, Zabuza whipped the sword into the air in an attempt to launch Kakashi, which the Konoha jounin accepted happily, leaping in time with the weapon's thrust and flipping away towards the bridge as he flared his chakra and detonated the tiny sphere sinking slowly beneath Zabuza's feet.

Zabuza shot into the air just as the water he stood on changed from liquid to steam, boiled almost instantly by the heat of Kakashi's converted weapon.

The missing-nin had aimed his leap to bring him down on top of Kakashi, who had landed a considerable distance away, but well within Zabuza's rage enhanced capabilities.

But to his surprise, a green glow blinked into existence around him, and his leap was arrested just before he impaled his opponent on the downward pointing blade, and he hung helplessly as Kakashi threw himself back, and out of range of Absol's attack. _(Telekinesis from Haunter)_

Absol swung his horn at Zabuza and released a crescent shaped blade of energy at the suspended man, who tried to position his blade to intercept, only to have his arm jerk out of the way involuntarily. _(Razor Wind)_

The entrapped man glared into the sky at Haunter, who winked one green-glowing eye and wiggled his fingers, causing Zabuza to dance like a marionette on a string.

Absol and Kakashi watched the chakra cloak recover from the deep cut left by Absol, noting that it did so much more slowly than it had with the man in contact with the water that he seemed to favor.

Kakashi launched a Grand Fireball technique at Zabuza, while Absol charged in, creating one more frozen walkway for what he expected to be the final exchange of the battle.

As he approached, black energy crawled across Absol, darkening his face and spreading back along him until he seemed a demon of sentient shadow, his piercing red eyes and glowing maw the only details apparent in his form.

Two bounding steps before the energy-wrapped pokemon would have slammed into Zabuza, the Dark elemental energy thrummed... and two identical Absols passed him on either side, circling around him, forming a ring of ice as they did. _(Substitute- modified into a version of the Shadowclone technique. See end notes for more info.)_

Their platform complete, the pokemon leapt at the nearly helpless man, carving into his defending aura over and over.

Between Haunter's interference and the newly duplicated pokemon's disparate attacks, Zabuza found himself forced to accept more of the slashing blows than he could either dodge or block.

Even worse, the pokemon's attacks set him spinning, which seemed to amuse the malicious ghost so much that he forced it to continue, even against the Absols' actions.

On the down side, this prevented him from watching Kakashi, who seemed to be preparing an attack of his own... but it did give Zabuza a wide view of the events surrounding him, and so he saw Lapras' return to the surface, and the interaction between her and the annoying blond.

Seeing the bright smile on her face for what it was, he squashed the completely rational urge to chop the boy into dog food, determined to be supportive of the girl.

Not that he could get free to loose his righteous wrath on the brat anyway.

Somehow the technique Haunter had him trapped in prevented him from escaping via kawarimi, and he couldn't string together enough signs for a strong enough attack to disrupt the Absols platform.

He saw the moment when Haku realized his danger, and felt a stab of dread, remembering that the girl had never fully outgrown that life-debt nonsense his apprentice had put in her head shortly after he'd saved Haku.

Kakashi had noticed the girl too, and though he didn't fully understand why Naruto had helped her, it seemed obvious they weren't fighting anymore.

"I make this offer only for my student, Zabuza. Surrender, and I can promise you and Haku fair treatment by Konoha." Kakashi asked menacingly, his hand sparking and chirping from his original jutsu.

"And when Konoha hands me over to Kiri?" Zabuza growled in response, swinging half-heatedly at one of the Absols. "We both know what'll happen. One way or the other, I end up dead."

"And Haku?" Kakashi prompted.

"Konoha's not the only village with mind-walkers," Zabuza replied, not willing to bet her life on his ability to resist Kiri's interrogation techniques.

Kakashi sighed. He had a feeling this was going to be seeing the next few moments in his nightmares... like so many others in his life. It was his personal purgatory, and the price he paid for Obito's sharingan eye.

'Then for what it's worth, I'll try to make it quick," Kakashi promised.

Kakashi charged in, Chidori leading just as Haku vanished from his vision.

The Absols bounded away together as Kakashi approached, melding back into one as they landed on small chunk of floating ice.

With his tormentors gone, Zabuza twisted in Haunter's telekinetic grasp, tearing scarred headband from his scalp.

Before the ghost pokemon could react, he'd pumped chakra into it and sent it spinning towards his captor.

Haunter freaked and fled, releasing his attack and vanishing from sight.

Zabuza fell the few feet to the water's surface and placed his blade defensively between himself and Kakashi just before the jounin's attack connected, Bracing the dense metal along his arm and shoulder, both to support it more completely and to provide more contact points to channel strengthening chakra into it.

Kakashi, with a mere instant to spare, and unwilling to back off and allow Zabuza to regroup with his ninja ally on the way, just focused more chakra and increased the power of his unique attack.

The two weapons, one of highly reinforced steel and one of pure destructive energy, collided with an explosive impact.

But in the end, Kakashi was victorious, as Kubikiri Houcho shattered before his attack, not more than six inches from it's hilt.

The Konoha jounin pressed on, punching through Zabuza's arm just above the elbow and ending with his fist impaled in the missing-ninja's torso, almost dead center, at the base of his ribcage..

Kakashi stared his opponent in the eyes, accepting the full measure of his penance as the sharingan automatically memorized every nuance of his victim's reaction, from the dilation of his pupils to the spasmodic jerking as he released the technique and the chidori's constituent energy surged through Zabuza's body.

Kakashi didn't look away until he heart a blood chilling scream from too close to ignore.

He leapt away, his hand leaving Zabuza's body with a stomach twisting squelch. He felt something in his hand and opened it to find a mass of flesh and a piece of blackened bone that could only have been part of Zabuza's spine. He dropped them into the sea, swallowing bile.

Haku caught her master as he fell, laying him on the nearby ice as tears flowed from her eyes. She made the handsigns for the medical jutsu Zabuza-sama had taught her, but could tell from a glance that it was far beyond her ability.

Zabuza was peppered with shards of his broken sword, and his left arm was nearly severed, the bone shattered beyond repair... But none of that mattered, because she couldn't forget the glimpse of ice she'd seen through the hone in his chest as she lay him down.

Haku leaned over her master, tears flowing freely as she tried uselessly to heal injuries that would require a medic of the legendary Tsunade's skill to rebuild.

"Stop..." groaned Zabuza thickly. "Just... cut that crap out."

"I'm... I'm trying, Zabuza-sama," Haku sobbed, thinking he was referring to her tears.

Zabuza released his zanbato's remaining length, which he had latched onto with single-minded intensity through the pain of his mortal wound, and reached for Haku's hands with a jerky motion, grabbing them in his only good one.

"It's no good," He growled, his eyes distant. "You know it, I know it... He knows it..." he flicked his eyes towards where Kakashi stood on the water, keeping his distance in the volatile situation, though he had lowered his headband once more.

"I... I'm sorry, Zabuza-sama." Haku replied through her tears. "I failed you, Froslass was beaten by Charmeleon, and I was unable to defeat Naruto..."

"Unable, or unwilling?" Zabuza asked rhetorically. In truth he was proud of her for acting in her own interests for once, and the brats hadn't interfered this time, he lost fair and square... or as fair as he could when the bastard had two pokemon helping him.

"I will avenge you, Zabuza-sama." Haku swore. "I will kill Kakashi Hatake or die in the attempt, and then I will complete our mission. I will not let Naruto prevent it... this time." She wrapped her small hands around his, willing him to feel her dedication, and her desire to make amends for her failure.

"Our mission? The mission was mine, you've never signed a single mission contract in your life," Zabuza corrected. "As for Hatake, my business with him is done."

"But Zabuza-sama... Your dreams..." Haku began, confused at the generosity he was showing to his killer.

"have been beyond me for a long... long time. Do you remember what I told you of the jinchuuriki?" Zabuza asked, staring up into the dwindling rain absently.

"They are people who have Biiju sealed within them... Beings of unstoppable power and often unstable temperament, of which only nine exist." Haku replied. Her education under Zabuza had been heavily focused on the kinds of people that might have been sent after them, and Utakata, while young, was well known in Kirigakure.

Halfway to his friend, Naruto slipped off the patch of ice he had aimed for and plunged into the water, shocked by the knowledge that somewhere there were eight other people like him.

Kakashi perked his ears, wondering if he might have to report to the Hokage how poorly kept Naruto's secret actually was.

"The Mizukage is one." Zabuza said simply.

Haku and Naruto both gasped at this information, though only one swallowed water as a result, remembering what Kakashi had said about the village leader.

The jounin in question only nodded slightly, it did fit with some of the rumors surrounding the man.

"But you told me that fighting a jinchuuriki was suicidal!" Haku replied loudly. "You've been planning to fight a monster like that!"

"Well, not anymore," Zabuza replied with a strained chuckle.

"That's not funny!" Haku cried, lowering her head to his chest.

"No... No it's not..." Zabuza admitted. "But sometimes, the only options are to laugh or cry... and I'll be damned before I go out like some damn sissy." he growled viciously.

Naruto decided to give the pair their limited privacy, and made his way to the bridge, rather than his friend's side. Even he knew it would be rude to intrude on their shared moment.

"Enough of this emotional garbage," Zabuza declared after catching his breath once more. "This is yours now," he explained, pulling her hands over to Kubikiri Houcho's hilt.

"Shall I deliver it to Mei-sempai for you, Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked mournfully as she considered the difficulty of returning the weapon to her master's former apprentice.

"What part of 'this is yours now' didn't you understand?" Zabuza asked in exasperation.

"The seven swords are always passed from master to apprentice, Zabuza-sama," she answered.

"Apprentice or heir... or whoever's strong enough to steal it from the owner," Zabuza corrected her.

"I would never steal from you, Zabuza-sama!" Haku protested emphatically.

"Then that only leaves one option..." Zabuza replied with a pained smile, as he saw the awed disbelief on her face.

"Do... do you mean...?" Haku asked incredulously. "Why would you wait until now to do something like this!"

"Never seemed to be the right time to talk about it..." Zabuza replied sadly. "And now... it's now or never... It shouldn't be a surprise, when was the last time I treated you like anything but my own blood?"

Haku's reply was just more silent tears, as she thought back and realized he'd stopped that even before they'd left Kirigakure.

He pressed the broken blade into her hands, and she hugged it to herself sobbing.

"I want you to consider this my final order: Haku Momochi, I forbid you to ever serve anyone who hasn't earned your respect. Make your own choices from now on. Find what you really want out of life." He glared at her as intimidatingly as he could in his unpleasant situation.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Haku smiled impishly at the dying man and replied, "Yes, Tousan," reveling in the feel of calling the man what she'd subconsciously considered him for so long.

Haku leaned over her newly acknowledged father, hugging him tightly. He returned it as best he could, wrapping his one good arm around her back and squeezing her shoulder.

"Live a long and happy life, my Aijou," Zabuza whispered to her, before tightening his grip on her shoulder and throwing her into the water a dozen meters away.

As she spun through the air, she caught sight of a horde of dirty men leaning over the side of the bridge, and a wave of crossbow bolts falling towards her father.

She rose on the water, intending to run to his aid, even as the first arrows slammed home, and only Kakashi's restraining grip prevented her from rushing into the storm of deadly shafts anyway.

"He wouldn't want you to die too," Kakashi said softly, his voice heavy with the memory of personal loss.

"I know..." Haku replied with simmering rage. "You had already killed him."

Kakashi drew his hand away, respecting her right to hate him, given the circumstances.

"For what it's worth, I asked him to surrender..." Kakashi replied, declining to mention that Zabuza might have considered his own death to be the essential price for his daughter's freedom from their rogue lifestyle.

Naruto hung via chakra on the stone beneath the arch of the bridge, staring at Zabuza's arrow-riddled body, and feeling sick.

He turned away from the body and began climbing the structure, operating with all the stealth he'd developed in his bygone pranking career.

"I'm afraid you ninja are trespassing on my property," a snide voice called from the bridge. "I'm going to have to have to ask you to surrender all weapons in your possession and turn yourselves over to the local magistrate for questioning."

"Gato you bastard! I'll kill you!" Haku screamed at the man, though Kakashi resumed his restraining grip on her.

"The Land of Waves has no Daimyo," Kakashi announced. "It's hardly trespassing if no one rules this country."

"I rule this country!" Gato answered angrily.

"Then I'm sure we have no interest in surrendering to whatever redress your judges might assign us," Kakashi replied.

Gato replied with smug confidence, "I have it on good authority that they're only interested in... detaining someone from your team. Little blond brat with freaky scars on his face."

"I won't let you hurt Naruto!" Haku yelled, reaching instinctively to pull senbon from her missing sash.

Kakashi blinked at the girl's vehemence, and hid a small smile.

"While I'm sure my reasons differ, I have to agree with her," Kakashi called. "You will not touch my genin."

"And what about the ones up here? I already know the blonde brat is down there, but the other two are up here with the bridge builder, aren't they?" Gato's cruel smile vanished when bursts of flame appeared on the land end of the bridge, followed shortly by screams of pain and fear from the mercenaries he'd sent to retrieve the entrenched group.

"They'll be fine!" Kakashi shouted back nonchalantly, earning a shocked look from Haku.

As if to support his claim, a feminine warcry split the air.

"Shannaro!" Sakura shrieked in a voice so familiar that Naruto flinched in sympathy for the victim of her ire. "Stay the hell away from my Sasuke-kun!"

Charmeleon and Eevee echoed her anger, while the apparently conscious Sasuke protested her possessive pronoun.

"Told you," Kakashi commented in a satisfied voice.

Naruto peeked over the bridge's edge, from the side opposite Kakashi and gathered his bearings. He'd decided the best way to end this would be a display of overwhelming force, and luckily he was the perfect ninja for the job.

"_Ralts-chan, I'm gonna see if I can chase those guys over to Sakura-chan and the teme, Can you go tell 'em to be ready?"_

"_...Okay," _She replied, understanding her partner's idea with little effort. _"Are you sure you don't need help?"_

"_I don't want you to get hurt, and I dunno how tough they're gonna be,"_ Naruto admitted.

"_...I understand, but please be careful." _Ralts replied.

"_Trust me, I ain't gonna get beat by these bullies!" _Naruto assured her.

Naruto crawled onto the surface of the bridge just as Gato was 'explaining' to Kakashi just how happily Tazuna would give himself up, to save his beloved family.

The knuckle headed ninja took that as the perfect prompt it was and stalked his way towards the gathering of goons.

"Tsunami an' Inari ain't comin'," he announced, finding himself the instant center of attention as the crowd turned as one. "The guys who busted in got a little tied up, but if you sent 'em, you owe Tazuna a new wall."

"You got a lot of guts brat..." Gato called as he strode through the parting crowd.

Gato eyed the boy up and down, apparently pleased to find someone shorter than him for once.

Naruto crossed his fingers in front of his face and grinned in a manner that might have reminded older ninja of his prisoner.

The tiny tyrant sneered at the boy and waved one chubby hand towards his more recent target. "Take him down," he commanded sharply.

As one, the mob charged for the apparent easy target.

Haku rushed forward to aid her friend, with Kakashi following close behind. Though they soon found themselves dodging screaming projectiles as the thugs were thrown from the bridge in quantities exponentially greater than she expected Naruto to be capable of.

She surmounted the bridge in a rush, flying into the air and signing through her ice needle jutsu, only to stop in awe at the sheer number of Narutos on the bridge.

It was impossible to make an accurate count, with the number clones darting around and under the much larger men, occasionally blasting them from the bridge with either fist or wind, but there were at least three dozen forming a shieldwall of sorts across the bridge, advancing steadily down it.

Arrows were knocked from the sky by liberal use of his Gale Palm, and anyone who approached that group was attacked by two or more clones, disabled with blows to the head, chest or gut, then launched into the general fray by a powerful wind jutsu applied at point blank range.

She landed behind Naruto's living barrier just as the boys swept past, and Kakashi hopped up nearby, blinking at the display.

From the far side of the battle, explosions of fire and shouts of pain, anger, and 'shannaro' flowed, along with the occasional blast of frost as Froslass joined her former foes at Ralts' request.

"Hammer and Anvil..." Kakashi noted, recognizing the common samurai tactic, though he was pleased to note the distinctly ninja twist to it provided by the clones within the trap.

Haku stared at the sheer number of clones her friend had created, wondering what kind they were... she'd never seen of a clone that simply disappeared when hit.

Gato cursed as he was shoved to the ground yet again, the second that blond bastard child attacked, things had gone to hell. He lurched to his feet again, cursing his diminutive height and all ninja for his present circumstances.

His mercenary army had deteriorated into the sub-human delinquents they had been when he hired them, reacting on immediate emotion and instinct rather than the longer term greed he'd counted on to keep them under his thumb.

When he finally reached the edge of the bridge where his yacht was docked, after getting turned around repeatedly from both the jostling crowd and his own desire to avoid the demon brat Yokujuu wanted so badly, he took a brief moment to crush his fear and leapt out, convinced his only chance was escape.

He was falling through air when Lapras, awoken when she felt the bond with her partner break, rose from the depths.

Inari and the villagers he'd collected arrived just in time to watch their tormentor fly into the air on top of a pillar of water, screaming in pure unadulterated fear.

His propulsion cut out, and all three crowds present watched as Lapras slipped beneath the waves, and the sea far below Gato began spinning wildly, carving a cone down to the very seabed. _(Whirlpool)_

Gato shrieked in even greater fear as the ground so far below rushed up to meet him.

His cry ended out when he slapped into the stone at the base of the pokemon's attack, scoured free of silt and sand by the turbulent currents Lapras had called up.

Only those on the bridge had the perspective to look down and see Gato's broken body before the whirlpool collapsed, smashing the corpse to bits in it's pokemon enhanced fury.

Naruto for one would be thankful that Inari never saw what Gato looked like after his death, though he would admit that the tyrant deserved everything he got.

With their employer dead, the mercenaries unconsciously divided themselves into two groups: Those who wanted to destroy the village and take what loot they could get, and those who'd had their fill of fighting and just wanted to get away.

Regardless of which side they chose, all the mercenaries were either captured or killed, with the exception of those who had leapt into the ocean to an uncertain fate.

The villagers positioned themselves behind Sakura's wall, and those skilled with their hunting crossbows sniped what opponents they could, while their kinsman protected them with the makeshift clubs and spears they'd gathered, and the ninja and pokemon took the fight directly to the enemy.

Looking back on it, those who were there that day would marvel at how smoothly things had gone.

There were no deaths and few injuries to the citizens, although one man did suffer a concussion after the fight when one of his neighbors threw his cane into the air in celebration, and the object crashed down on the victim's head.

* * *

Once the prisoners were collected and stuffed into a convenient cellar, which Kakashi locked shut with a convenient rock jutsu, the real celebration began.

The whole village pooled their resources, food and liquor flowed freely, and even Tazuna was able to forget the damage his bridge sustained for a time.

Team Kakashi stood near the edge of the party, and Haku joined them, stroking the bladeless hilt of Kubikiri Houcho. She had two scrolls hidden in her kimono, the same one she'd met Naruto in, holding the fully repaired blade and her father's corpse.

She had left the team, using her need to change clothes as an excuse, and had taken the opportunity to let the weapon restore itself with the blood of those running Gato's business interests in the area.

Sasuke was on his feet, if a bit unsteadily, and Sakura refused to leave his side, in case he might need her assistance for anything.

The Uchiha wanted a rematch with Haku more than almost anything, but restrained his temper... mostly. He knew what it was like to lose everything, and so in an unexpected show of sympathy, held his tongue.

Naruto stood near his new friend, placing himself protectively between her and the Teme's occasional fiery glances.

Ralts and Froslass remained near their partners, while Eevee ran around in the crowd, playing games with the children who were riding high on the upwelling emotional currents.

Charmeleon stood near the barbecue pits, accepting the generous homage paid to him by the cooks, as they prepared the upcoming feast.

"What is to be my fate?" Haku asked suddenly, her eyes locked on the happy citizens and a sad smile on her face.

"We have no reason to take you into custody, since you've never been put in the bingo books." Kakashi admitted. "Though Zabuza is... and I recall someone complaining when I let you take him away last time..."

"That was different!" Naruto protested. "I didn't know Haku an' him were family!"

"True, but I think I'll let you three decide," Kakashi chose, taking the opportunity to judge his student's characters in this situation.

"He's her dad," Naruto stated with finality, his decision obvious.

"I agree with Naruto," Sakura said, sympathy for Haku's situation obvious in her voice. She didn't want to imagine how she'd feel in the older girl's place, but she hoped to never be there.

Kakashi looked to Sasuke, who was leaning against a tree with a conflicted expression.

"Money is meaningless to me..." Sasuke said, his tone leading. "But I want something from you before I agree..."

Haku's eyes weren't the only ones to harden at Sasuke's decision, but before Naruto could attack his teammate, Kakashi spoke.

"A ransom price isn't unheard of, but what do you want?" The jounin asked.

Sasuke exhaled a shallow sigh. "When we fought, you used strange handsigns... one handed. I want you to teach me them."

"To aid you in your quest for revenge?" Haku asked, to which the Uchiha nodded.

"If it will satisfy you, I will show you the signs my Tousan taught me... I will even name them for you, but I will go no further," Haku countered.

Sasuke's eyes turned red and he smirked, "I think that'll do." He hated himself for twisting her arm at a time like that, but it was the surest way of learning the trick, and he wasn't willing to let the opportunity slip away.

Kakashi uncovered his eye and memorized the handsigns at the same time, claiming that he would use the information to help teach Naruto and Sakura, but Haku wasn't sure whether she could trust the peculiar jounin.

Immediately after seeing all twelve, Sasuke signed through his grand fireball, smirking victoriously when the technique went off perfectly.

Her task done, she stormed away angrily up the hill and into the woods behind them.

Naruto chased after her in concern, catching up before she'd made it very far, falling into step beside the taller girl.

"Sorry about him," Naruto apologized when he realized Haku wasn't going to slow down soon.

"It... It's nothing," Haku replied, coming to a stop and brushing tears from her eyes.

"Don't dismiss it so easily," Kakashi said, hopping down in front of the pair. "I won't try to justify his decision, but it is worth mentioning that he knows what it's like to lose family... I just hope you don't take after him... It might not be healthy for either of us." He finished with a faint smile in his eyes.

"Worried, Kakashi?" Haku asked sharply. She sighed out her anger for the man as she sat down heavily, "Tousan told me to let it go, his business with you was over."

"I'm relieved," Kakashi replied with a glance at Naruto. "If it had come to a fight, I don't think either of us would have won in the end..."

Haku looked to her friend, knowing the truth of Kakashi's words. If she were to kill Sasuke or Kakashi, who knows how he would react... Thankfully, it wasn't going to be an issue.

"I did come for a specific purpose though..." Kakashi admitted after a moment. "I want to borrow Zabuza's body for a while."

The two immediately glared at him, Naruto growling deep in his throat.

"Calm down, I just want something to prove his death to Kiri," Kakashi said hastily. "It'd probably not be enough to get a bounty out of them, but if I supply some biological evidence, along with the headband and pieces of his sword I retrieved, it should get people to stop looking for a while, and buy you some time."

"What kind of evidence?" Haku asked tonelessly.

"Blood-stained cloth, something that might survive a near total eradication would be best," Kakashi replied.

Haku was silent a long while, before replying. "I will bring you what you ask for, before you return to Konoha. But I will not permit you to harm his body anymore than you have already."

Kakashi agreed to her stipulation before leaving the two to the discussion he knew was coming.

"What did he mean, when he said it'd buy you some time?" Naruto asked once he'd calmed enough to remember Kakashi's comment. "You're comin' back to Konoha with us... right?"

"It would be nice... wouldn't it?" Haku mused longingly. "But I can't... Tousan told me to make my own choices. I can't do that if I join a village so soon after his death... I need time to learn what I want for myself..."

"That sucks..." Naruto complained petulantly, plopping down on the ground next to her. "But I guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do..."

Haku repositioned herself next to Naruto and leaned herself against the shorter boy. It wasn't as comfortable as she had hoped, but it was the first thing she could think of that she wanted just for herself, and she enjoyed that.

Especially when Naruto wrapped his arm around her, just as he had held Ralts the day they met.

They remained that way until long after the moon rose, watching the raging party through the trees.

* * *

Haku woke with the sun, amused to see that Naruto had fallen asleep next to her, and that Ralts had joined them at some point in the night, snuggling up on her partner's stomach as he sprawled.

She blushed when she realized that he had one arm around each of them, but carefully detached herself from him and rose, brushing her kimono off carefully.

She looked at the blond fondly, wishing she could justify joining him in Konoha, but worried that she would simply use him as a replacement for Zabuza, thereby betraying her father's last wish.

She knelt before her friend, sweeping his hair away from his eyes, before brushing her fingers along his whisker marks, smiling softly when the boy nuzzled into her palm unconsciously.

"We will meet again," she swore softly, before standing and walking away.

So swift was her exit, that she never noticed Ralts watching her with sleepy eyes. The little pokemon yawned hugely, and snuggled closer to her partner.

Naruto awoke a few hours later, and after a moment of panic over Haku's disappearance, was reassured by Ralts, who told him she'd left earlier, though she omitted Haku's private promise.

Somewhat relieved, Naruto tracked down his team at Tazuna's home, where the four conscious humans left the drunk old man sleeping and detailed their plans for the rest of the visit.

The following day was a busy one for the citizens of Wave, as construction resumed with Naruto's wholehearted assistance, and nearly every inhabitant of the island set about restoration efforts.

Even those who had no viable skills to offer were set to work in some way.

It took nearly a month to finish the bridge, more than a week of which was spent repairing the damage Charmeleon and Absol caused during their battles. Despite Tazuna's prolific complaining, even he was surrounded by an air of optimism.

* * *

One misty morning, Naruto awoke to find a letter waiting on the kitchen table. He opened it curiously, he couldn't remember the last time he'd received any mail other than bills.

_Dear Naruto,_

_I'm sorry to not say this in person, but I had little time to prepare for my trip._

_I was contacted yesterday by someone who's home is facing a problem similar to the one here in wave. _

_I have chosen to help them. In exchange, they have offered me a home where I can focus on my father's last wish without distraction. _

_When this land is safe once more, and I know myself better, I would like to see you again... if you don't object._

_I will write again when I can. _

_Your friend,_

_Haku_

_P.S. I have included a visual guide to the handsigns the Uchiha demanded. So it shouldn't matter if your sensei is lazy._

Naruto flipped through the included photographs, all closeups of Haku's hand in different positions with information written in the same flowing script on the back.

He carefully folded the letter back up and returned it and the pictures to their envelope, before tucking it safely in his backpack.

Naruto pulled the letter out each morning and read it, barely believing his luck at making a new friend his first mission outside of Konoha, and wondering at the adventures Haku would have.

He also wondered if Haku daydreamed about saving princes the way he imagined his future princess rescuing exploits...

* * *

Author's Notes:

In regards to relationships: This did not spontaneously become a Naru/Haku story, so I don't want to hear any flames on that score. When I planned out the start of this story, I decided on a few people to view as options, and see how things develop. Hinata and Haku are two of the three I had initially chosen, though I left my plans open enough in regards to people in the future, since the story will start to diverge a bit in the chunin exams. I'm still not certain who will be the final pairings, but unless the story changes my mind, the decision won't be made until Haku and Naruto meet again, face to face, (which isn't for a long time)

I apologize if the fights and emotional stuff didn't flow well, or seemed overdone, they aren't subjects that come naturally to me. Any input on how to improve those is welcome, via PM or Review, as you prefer.

On that note, as a direct response to MesoJoe, I read all reviews and PMs I receive, and occasionally reply if PMs are accepted by the reviewer. I'm still reading and considering the elements, but appreciate every suggestion, I've gotten a ton of ideas for jutsu and combat techniques thanks to your responses.

Concepts and terms in this chapter:

Aijou: One's beloved daughter (I apologize if it's used out of context, if someone knows for certain, please notify me)

Froslass' ability is Cursed Body, which in game is a ghost only ability that disables any physical attack that connects with the possessor. Given the way movesets work here, Disable can either be useless (blocks one move) or Overpowered (blocks move's element), so I chose a redefined it to fit Froslass specifically. Particularly since it's unlikely another pokemon in the story will possess it. (only five pokemon total can, as of this posting)

Substitution: Redefined to be similar to the Element clone jutsu, however it splits the user's energy among the clones, as per the Shadowclone, so if Absol was level 50, his split forms became level 25's. Pokemon can create a maximum of four bodies with this technique, and each element has it's own specific qualities which are enhanced or granted to the clones. (which are still being designed... Any suggestions? hehe)

Alrighty, that's enough for Author's notes, thanks for reading and many many thanks for the flood of element suggestions,

-Mhyrloc


	9. Gifts of gold and stories told

In the process of writing this chapter, I spent a little time getting in Kakashi's head. As a result I found myself compelled to do a bit of editing to chapter four. Nothing major changed, but I have his motivation figured out a bit better and so altered him away from the 'Team 7 curse' mentality in the few scenes it was mentioned.

Almost all of the changes were in the cooperative sections of the fight and the end conversation between the jounin and Sarutobi. (so about the last 20% of the chapter)

The changes aren't particularly significant, so you shouldn't feel obligated to reread the chapter if you would rather not.

I don't plan to make this a regular thing... I have enough trouble thinking I'm pulling a Lucas as is. And that thought really tempts me to try casting Jarjar Binks in the role of Sasuke, if only because the idea of him burning his own tongue with every Fire jutsu attempt amuses me...

Any case, Hope ya enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

Team Kakashi stood before the Hokage at their official debriefing.

It wasn't standard procedure for him to personally see to such routine matters, but the events Kakashi had just finished narrating were anything but ordinary.

Tazuna had grossly understated both the risk of the mission and the duration thereof. In fact, on their way back, Kakashi had met up with the Anbu pursuit team that had been sent out to check on the delay.

The Anbu had reported back three days ago that the missing ninja were returning, but were restricted to civilian travel speed, due to the woman they were escorting.

Upon arrival, the woman had been identified as Tsunami Takase, Tazuna's daughter, and she sat before the venerable leader with considerable composure, though her anger did reveal itself subtly when she heard of her father's deception.

Interestingly, the woman had settled into the chair indicated by Kakashi when he took position front and center to the large desk, and Naruto stood at the woman's opposite arm, his presence more supportive than aloof.

This made it obvious that the woman was here of her own accord, rather than as a prisoner.

Sakura and Sasuke stood on Kakashi's opposite side, and while neither was presumptuous enough to take the second seat, Sarutobi didn't miss the flash of red as Sasuke unconsciously flaunted his new advantage.

The unleashed Sharingan coupled with the even more obvious evolution Charmeleon had undergone gave the barest hint at the excitement the genin had gone through in what should have been a routine mission.

The jounin's report complete, Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and leveled a bland stare at the group.

"The decision to continue the mission, knowing it's escalation, was most unwise," he admonished sternly. "But such things happen, often with even less forewarning, so it would be improper to censure you too harshly for doing so. However, know that had your faith in these genin been misplaced, your punishment would have been... most grave."

"I understand, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied seriously. Naruto looked rebellious, but held his tongue. In truth, the veiled threat was far less than Kakashi had expected.

The genin had been warned that this would happen, and that it was partially the Hokage's way of ensuring that overzealous jounin didn't push their genin into attempting missions they weren't ready for.

The other part of course, was that Sarutobi honestly cared for his ninja, and responded to any threat to them with the full force of his considerable power.

"With that settled, we come to the matter of immediate interest," Sarutobi continued turning his gaze to the young woman. "I assume there is a reason you returned with someone other than the man who filed the fraudulent mission request?"

"Y-yes, Hokage-sama, sir..." Tsunami stammered, the first she'd spoken since her arrival in the imposing office. "It was my decision... I mean I volunteered... Father is busy..." She reddened severely, angry at herself for getting flustered now that she was here before what might be the most powerful man within a thousand miles.

And the stories Naruto had told of 'Saru-jiji' didn't seem to reassure her, now that she was faced with the intimidating man.

"While your devotion is admirable, I'm afraid it is against Konoha's policy to place ones punishment upon their children, and it is most deplorable that Tazuna-san would permit you to do so," Sarutobi explained, hiding a grimace at how inaccurate that statement might be, considering how some of the village treated Naruto due to his father's actions.

"What? No! That's not what I mean!" Tsunami replied loudly, true panic creeping into her expression.

"Please, be at ease, and explain" Sarutobi said calmly, slipping into his more grandfatherly persona in an attempt to reassure the woman.

"Yeah, Jiji's not scary 'less he's worried." Naruto said confidently. "Just tell 'im what you came here to say, and it'll be fine. I guarantee it. Dattebayo!"

Tsunami and the Hokage both looked at the boy incredulously, though only Kakashi noticed the synchronicity, due to the Hokage's lightning-fast recovery.

Tsunami turned back to face the desk, her eyes shut tight and her voice both high and quick.

"Hokage-sama, sir. I am here representing the Land of Waves to express our interest in a mutually beneficial trade alliance with the Land of Fire and Konohagakure. I would also like to negotiate whatever reparation is needed to exonerate my father for his... understatement of the situation."

She opened her eyes and met Sarutobi's amused ones, proud of herself for getting through the speech she had practiced since the idea had been agreed to in the impromptu committee formed to make major decisions until a leader could be chosen for the small island country.

"Ah, that reminds me," Kakashi mused as if in sudden realization. He dug out a scroll from his pouch and placed it on the Hokage's desk. "Team Kakashi, reporting in from our independently assumed C-rank mission to escort the temporary ambassador for the Land of Waves to Konoha for negotiations."

Tsunami looked at the scroll she'd had to agree to before the mission, then turned a dark glare on her former escort.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" She declared darkly.

"It completely slipped my mind in all the excitement. You know, being home for the first time in nearly two months and all that," he replied with an almost invisible smile.

"Liar!" Protested Naruto and Sakura simultaneously.

While they bickered, Sarutobi read over the mission scroll, which was written out in perfect form, probably due to Kakashi's sharingan aided memory, since the jounin was notorious for his indifferent paperwork habits,

Of particular note was the price, listed as ninety thousand ryo, a fair price given the distance and political nature of the mission, but more interesting was the fact that it was marked as paid in full.

The scroll lacked a storage seal, so he turned to the jounin once more.

"While the mission details are as sound as any could hope, I must ask as to the subject of payment," He prompted, interrupting the back and forth exchange of accusation, implausible excuse and dismissal of said excuse.

"Ah, right," Kakashi replied, feigning innocence just as uselessly as he had a moment earlier, as he dug into his pouch once more. "Here you go, payment in full." he said happily, handing over a trio of golden leaves.

Sarutobi accepted the items, an impressed expression growing as he inspected them carefully, eventually setting them into one of his drawers and stamping the scroll as approved and tossing it carelessly onto his outbound stack.

"Well, that was simple enough," the Hokage chuckled. "However, as to the matters you came here to discuss... A full trade agreement is a bit more complicated than we can iron out here and now, so if you've no objections, we can schedule a more appropriate time for that discussion."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Tsunami replied. "Would it be necessary to delay the negotiation of my father's debt until then as well?"

"No, if you'd prefer, we can settle an agreement of that sort immediately," Sarutobi replied. There would be no need to consult his advisers or the council on a matter like a debt repayment schedule.

The complex web of trade and politics however... It would be best to approach it along proper channels, so as to not step on any influential toes or incite anger from Kirigakure, who had claimed the Land of Waves until the last war, when it had been abandoned as not profitable enough to care about.

Sarutobi leaned back in his plush chair, lighting and inhaling deeply from the pipe he'd filled and set aside as Kakashi began his narration.

He exhaled a smoke ring, enacting a seal-less and subtle wind jutsu to guide the smoke away from his guests and out the nearby window.

"I think the fairest way to determine the new cost of the mission would be for Kakashi to consider the mission overall, and name the price. He is one of our most experienced ninja, and is aware of every aspect of the completed mission, as well the financial situation your country is in," he decided after a few breaths. "Is that agreeable?"

Tsunami nodded in accord, knowing that despite his eccentricities, Kakashi was a respectable man... mostly.

The two looked to the jounin, who had already settled into a position of contemplation, his visible eye dancing behind it's lid as he analyzed and categorized the events in question.

After a minute or two, during which Tsunami grew visibly nervous, and Naruto quietly reassured her, Kakashi opened his eye and looked back to his leader.

"I would classify it as an A-rank mission, total cost of five hundred, fifty thousand ryo," he declared.

Tsunami paled visibly, and Naruto shot his sensei a glare as he patted her hand comfortingly.

"That little?" Sarutobi asked, mostly to point out that the jounin's decision was almost absurdly low considering the duration and involvement of three B-rank ninja, and one of Zabuza's caliber.

Kakashi nodded decisively. "Given the relative ease in which the Demon Brothers were dispatched, as well as Haku's reluctance to cause lasting harm, despite making her capacity to do so abundantly apparent, I could not in good conscience expect more. Though given the amount of time were were there and the fact that we fought Zabuza twice, going lower might set an unacceptable precedent."

"Very well," Sarutobi replied as he retrieved a prepared mission scroll and filled it out with the new mission details, taking care to note the amount paid for the initial C-rank mission request.

"The remaining balance, which will remain in Tazuna's name, is four hundred, ninety thousand ryo," Sarutobi explained. "He has a period of five years from today's date to complete payment, and if at any point he goes six months without paying an amount I, as Hokage, deem sufficient to acknowledge this responsibility, he will go into default and we will pursue more judicial methods of restitution. Do you understand these terms, and can you explain it in such a way that your father will understand as well?"

Tsunami accepted the offered scroll and read through the terms listed, identical to the ones he explained verbally, if more technical on paper.

"I understand, and I'm sure my father will as well," she replied, signing the scroll where required.

"Everything is settled then," Sarutobi said, taking the scroll back and re-rolling it with a deft gesture. "Is there any more business to attend to?"

"Yes, just one more thing, Hokage-sama," Tsunami replied, her confidence mostly recovered after her successful streak. "I would like to negotiate the sale of ninety-six Sogen Handou leaves, to settle the debt owed and finance the purchase of goods and materials to aid in our country's recovery efforts... and if possible to arrange a meeting with Moltres or another of the legendary pokemon so that I might offer an official apology for the actions of our citizens."

She lifted a suitcase from where she had placed it under her seat when she'd arrived, taken from Gato's yacht after the man's death, and opened it for the Hokage's perusal.

The boat itself had been taken by Kakashi and a crew of Tazuna's more trustworthy workmen to a harbor a few days down the coast, spending the money that had been in the case and intended for Gato's mercenaries on immediate necessities. After which the boat had been swiftly converted into a simple fishing skiff and put to work.

Sarutobi looked at the suitcase in surprise, before turning his gaze to Kakashi and cocking an eyebrow questioningly.

"I can personally attest to the fact that every one of those is the real deal," he answered. "It's the fruits of an entire month of searching by every person in Wave, excluding those who were building the bridge."

"A fortunate benefit from an unfortunate situation," Tsunami commented, referring to their land's lack of pokemon, which she hoped to correct by contacting one of the reportedly intelligent beings. Naruto had assured her that Moltres was pretty smart, though his reasoning that she loved the color orange was a bit sketchy.

"It is quite unusual that we see so many of these all at once. How much were you thinking to ask for them?" Sarutobi asked, in a reasonable opening to negotiate.

"Kakashi-san told me that an average price, in open market, is between thirty and forty thousand ryo," Tsunami answered.

"A fair assessment..." Sarutobi admitted, doing a few quick calculations in his head.

He retrieved the scroll with Tazuna's revised mission details and marked it off as paid in full, again tossing it onto the out stack.

That done, he tapped a seal burned into the wood of his desk, channeling chakra in the right pattern to connect him to the account administrative section of the tower.

"Please send chunin Chokkyo to my office," he said into the air near the crystal, nodding in satisfaction as a tinny voice replied in an affirmative.

It wasn't more than a couple minutes before there was a knock at the door and a ninja poked his head in, sweeping his eyes across the group and nodding nervously to the Hokage, who waved him in easily.

The man stepped up and saluted with quick darting motions. He was of middling height, with muscles more in tune with academy students than active ninja, and he wore a pair of thick wrap around glasses that looked a lot like swimming goggles.

"You called for me Hokage-sama?" He asked in a voice more suited to personal musing than conversation.

"Yes," Sarutobi replied with a sly smile. "I have a puzzle that might be right up your alley... You see, the new ambassador here finds herself in a bit of a situation. Her island home has recently suffered a long term tragedy, and hopes to recover as quickly as possible on something of a budget..."

"Population? Native resources available? Degree of immediacy?" Chokkyo asked in quick succession, his voice much more audible with interest.

Sarutobi looked to Tsunami pointedly and she replied as best she could. "Well... I'd say there are only a couple thousand of us currently living in the entire country, though I don't know how well off some of the smaller villages have endured."

"Resources... Well, we fish a lot, but most of our large ships were destroyed. My father and the other engineers are working to repair and rebuild using the wood that was stored in the seasoning caves, but that will take some time..."

"And as to immediacy, I would like to get everything back to normal as quickly as possible. Is that what you're asking?" She asked, trying to clarify.

"It does help," Chokkyo muttered in reply. "What's the budget?"

"Plan for around two million ryo," Sarutobi replied, amused at the shocked expression on Tsunami's face. "Discounting storage and care fees for the duration of the ambassador's visit of course. You may arrange for that and her own quarters under the standard dignitary protocols."

"Of course, of course," the chunin replied absently. "What animals would you prefer for live sustainability? Chickens, cows, maybe sheep I assume?"

"That would be nice," Tsunami admitted, "Ducks might be better than chickens though.

"Ah, yes, an island country, is fresh water a matter of concern?" He asked. "What country is it, if I may ask?"

"The Land of Waves, and we have a number of spring-fed rivers thankfully," Tsunami replied.

"Wave, wave, wave... Ah, here we are," he mused happily, flipping through a pocket atlas until he reached the country in question, at which point he began muttering to himself.

"Tsunami-san, I am placing chunin Chokkyo at your disposal for the duration of your time here, I'm sure his unique understanding of the problems you might face will be of considerable use in your endeavor. Chokkyo, you are to take no financial actions without Tsunami-san's approval." Sarutobi waved them away as the chunin guided the perplexed woman out, going down a list of crops known to grow well in environments similar to Wave's.

"He will drive her insane in under a day," Kakashi commented drily.

"Maybe," Sarutobi agreed. "But if he can't help her get things back in order, no one can."

* * *

Chokkyo was a refugee from a number of small villages. One after the other his homes were destroyed, no less than four times prior to his remaining family landing in Konoha.

The natural disasters that had destroyed his life so many times successively left the chunin with such a serious phobia for the elements that he forswore all jutsu linked to the four tragedies, and his sensei despaired at him ever advancing beyond genin. If his last chunin exam hadn't been so unusual, he probably wouldn't have.

It had taken place in Iwagakure, with Konoha invited as a form of diplomatic challenge, and happened to coincide with a notorious missing-ninja's attempt to cause trouble for his former Kage.

Iwa had a number of hidden wells, stone-walled aquifers formed intentionally in the mountains around village itself as protection against drought or siege. The missing-nin had known of these and had planned to forcibly rupture a large number of them, flooding the village and killing indiscriminately, possibly leading to another world war in response to the teams slain during the exams.

He was caught in the process of seeding the first, and rather than surrender and abandon his revenge, chose to blow every explosive tag on him, creating a massive hole and spilling the entire reservoir into a natural channel leading to the unsuspecting village and genin arrayed near a cave system awaiting the second stage of the exams..

Immediately, Chokkyo, who'd spent his life obsessed with ending the threat these events represented in his life, shifted into full panic mode. Brow beating genin contestants into obedience and enacting one of the many planned countermeasures he'd concocted.

Directing from atop a stone collumn, much to Oonoki's disgust and amusement, he guided the genin contestants as they built a full defense of breakwaters and rerouting canals against the onrushing water, and as a result none of the villagers so much as got splashed.

Oonoki and his proctors enjoyed the show so much, he decided to treat it as an impromptu second exam, especially since the flood had all but destroyed the cave complex their true test was supposed to take place in.

The criteria was easier too, whose who ran to hide behind him and the jounin waiting to stop the flood, failed, while those who fought to protect the village passed.

According to rumor, Oonoki himself gave Chokkyo his jacket, along with a warning to never show his face in Iwagakure again, which the new chunin happily agreed to. Especially given the number of disqualified Iwa genin who wanted revenge for his unintentional embarrassment.

Chokkyo left his team cheerfully, taking up his position handling accounts for the Hokage and spending his free time planning for every tragedy that might occur.

* * *

With Tsunami dragged off by her enthusiastic escort, the ninja finished covering what bases Sarutobi deemed necessary, including the fate of Kubikiri Houcho and whether or not Kakashi believed Haku would become a threat to the Land of Fire.

Kakashi assessed that risk to be negligible, and suspected that any inadvertent conflict could be easily diffused with Naruto's involvement.

Sarutobi accepted the evidence of Zabuza's demise, and promised to forward it to Kirigakure with all due haste, but warned the group that they might refuse to pay the bounty at all, since the bloody clothing was hardly indisputable proof of death.

And of course, the near mythical sword's absence would be assumed as theft by the Konoha shinobi, despite it's reported destruction.

Kakashi merely waved off the warning. He knew the cleaver was still valuable, Haku's possession of the completely bladeless hilt when she delivered the scroll of evidence was enough for him to realize where the true power behind the weapon lay.

The only one who seemed even a little down about the lost profit was Sakura, though she hid it rather well, and it vanished instantly when she looked at the payment voucher the Hokage handed them upon dismissal.

"Hokage-sama? I think you may have added an extra zero or two..." The girl said hesitantly, uncomfortable at the the presumptuousness of pointing out her leader's error.

Sarutobi smiled a bit as Naruto and Sasuke looked to their own substantial payments. "Rest assured, the amount written is completely accurate. Do remember that you've just completed both an A-rank and C-rank mission, and that we've had a month to turn over the Demon Brother's for their own bounties."

"You may find it interesting to know that you three have received the largest individual paychecks any genin have earned in this village in quite a few years," he continued.

"I would warn you not to spend it all in one place, but even Naruto would be hard pressed to eat that much ramen," Kakashi chuckled, waving the kids away lazily. "Now get going, I need to speak to the Hokage about some things."

"Sure thing, but I wanted to ask if Jiji knows where Kiba, Shikamaru, an' Chouji's teams practice." Naruto replied, as his less enthusiastic teammates left to cash out their checks at the accounting desk.

"Teams eight and ten? I suppose I can check their sensei's files, but why if I may ask?" Sarutobi answered, turning to access a nearby cabinet.

"I got a gift for 'em, an' their teams," Naruto replied happily, fishing out the six leaves he'd retrieved for his old classmates.

Sarutobi glanced up and blinked in surprise. If the boy combined his paycheck with the money he could make selling the leaves in his hands, he could buy a fair sized house, and furnish it if he were thrifty.

"Naruto, do you know how much those are worth?" He asked, surprised that the boy would just give them away.

"Who do you think told the villagers about them?" Kakashi remarked, his voice amused at the boy's generosity.

Naruto just grinned, and Sarutobi gave up trying to understand the boy's motivations.

He closed the file with a gesture, and the cat masked Anbu appeared before him, already kneeling respectfully.

"Code nineteen on jounin Kurenai Yuuhi and Asuma Sarutobi," the Hokage asked needlessly, for the Anbu had apparently already forwarded the request through her earpiece.

"What's code nineteen?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Non-emergency, location requested," Kakashi answered absently, ignoring Sarutobi's inquisitively cocked eyebrow. "It's how Anbu messengers always know where to find their targets. Anbu are trained to notice, identify and remember everyone they see. Any unrecognized person is trailed until their threat level is determined, or they're identified."

"Code nineteen is the same as asking all the Anbu at once: Have you seen these people. Anyone who has within the last few minutes will respond with a location."

"Ah, I get it," Naruto replied happily. "But what if it is an emergency?"

"There's a code for that too, as well as almost any other situation you might imagine, but most are classified." Kakashi answered. "It wouldn't do to let other nations know our secrets, now is it?"

"So I guess I shouldn't try using somethin' like code nineteen, 'less it's an emergency, huh?" Naruto realized.

"Precisely," Kakashi confirmed with an eye-smile.

"If you are done discussing confidential information, I have their locations," the Anbu remarked in an annoyed voice.

"Sure, that's enough for one day," Kakashi replied blandly.

"Good. Kurenai-san and her team just arrived at Ichiraku's restaurant a short while ago, it is unknown how long they will remain, but if they follow their standard pattern, they will come to the tower to accept their missions afterward."

"Asuma-san is currently at training ground one, with his team. They completed their allotment of missions earlier, and began their daily training not long ago, so are likely to remain there for some time yet."

She was barely done speaking when Naruto bolted from the room, shouting his thanks to 'Neko-chan'.

"I would make a wager on where he goes first, but only Tsunade would bet against me," Kakashi remarked.

"Well, he has been without his beloved ramen for a rather long time," Sarutobi replied, in an overly sympathetic voice.

"I assume there are things you would like to discuss privately?" the Hokage asked when Kakashi made no move to leave. "I admit to some curiosity as to your reason for telling him one of our Anbu codes."

"It's a low level secret," Kakashi replied with a shrug. "And to be honest, I'd be surprised if he doesn't end up doing some time either as a member of an Anbu division, or as a collaborative agent at some point... Mostly I wanted to spark his curiosity."

"Isn't it a bit early to be thinking on those matters?" Sarutobi asked curiously.

"I would agree, but little Ralts makes it inevitable that he'll catch the Hunter Division's attention at some point..." Kakashi explained his impromptu study of the pokemon's capacity for location, as well as confirming her ability to communicate telepathically, though he had yet to be contacted personally.

During his explanation, Sarutobi had reopened Naruto's file and made note of both abilities. He could well imagine the advantages Ralts might give to a pursuit or apprehension team, particularly when coupled with her ability to teleport nearly at will.

He made a note to keep track of her progress as she evolved in the future, and marked her file as one of the limited number in Konoha capable of bridging the communication gap between them and humanity.

"There is one other thing..." Kakashi mused, while the Hokage made his notes. "have you ever heard of a physically manifesting Henge?"

Sarutobi paused almost imperceptibly in his writing, and when he resumed he spoke cautiously. "Other than the shadowclone jutsu, you mean?"

Kakashi nodded. "On the way there, Naruto was working with his leaf exercises and certain events happened, culminating with him running around with cat ears and a tail, which was solid enough to drag Eevee. I inspected them, and both were physical, if inaccurately made."

Sarutobi glanced at the jounin and with apparent reluctance, turned to Naruto's page of the file and added quick note near the bottom. He then closed the folders and returned them to the cabinet he'd gathered them from earlier.

Settling back in his chair, the aged Hokage activated a privacy jutsu and turned tired eyes to the jounin.

"I have to ask... Who all knows of this?" Sarutobi inquired.

"Only the team and Tazuna were present," Kakashi replied seriously. "Naruto implied that it was normal for him, and that he'd never noticed the difference."

"I suppose I should have expected this," Sarutobi complained, rubbing his face.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked, a bit worried at how Sarutobi was reacting.

"Not wrong exactly, just... a bit earlier than I might prefer," Sarutobi replied thoughtfully. "I suppose it was inevitable though, it is the nature of such things to want to be used."

"What things, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.

"Bloodlines of course," Sarutobi answered, as if it were obvious.

"Naruto has a Kekke Genkai?" Kakashi asked incredulously. He didn't think either Minato-sensei or Kushina had any such thing...

"Yes... or at least I believe it to be," the Hokage confirmed. "The ninja of the Land of Whirlpools were known to possess an ability that was never truly identified, so much of the ninja world believed it to be a secret clan technique, lost with the village's destruction."

"And Kushina possessed this ability?" Kakashi prodded.

"Indeed, as did Mito Uzumaki, Hashirama Senju's wife." Sarutobi verified. "In it's simplest form, the bloodline seemed to manifest chakra into physical form."

"I had suspected Naruto might develop the ability when I learned of his extraordinary ability to create Kage Bushin, but to learn that he had been unconsciously using it so early in life... Simply remarkable."

"Should I begin teaching him to harness this skill?" Kakashi asked, knowing the boy wouldn't be able to resist asking questions that might have dangerous answers.

"I'm afraid that would be difficult," Sarutobi warned. "There are no records on how the techniques were developed, taught, or even used."

"Why not? I thought Whirlpool was one of our closest allies?" Kakashi inquired, somewhat surprised at the legendary 'Professor's lack of knowledge.

"True though that might have been, their ninja guarded the secrets to this particular technique fiercely, and Kushina was no exception." Sarutobi explained.

"But wasn't she a Konoha shinobi?" Kakashi asked, though he was certain she had been.

"Correct, but she was taught the ways of her clan by Mito, who was born and raised within their village, only coming to Konoha after her marriage to the Shodaime," Sarutobi clarified.

"And there are no records covering those lessons?" Kakashi found it a bit difficult to believe no one in the entire ninja village might have seen something.

"None at all. Hashirama-sensei respected his wife's wishes in this matter. In fact, no one was permitted to even enter the clan compound during their sessions, to ensure privacy. He himself stood guard against any intrusions. It was, in part, this secrecy that convinced so many that the ability was learned rather than inherited," the Hokage explained with a wry smile.

"But why? Why so much secrecy for a minor enhancement to a common jutsu? Physical change or not, their henge would still produce a chakra signature," reasoned the jounin.

"You've only seen it's lowest form," Sarutobi corrected. "An untrained application, achieved through instinct alone. It's ultimate application, or what I presume to be such, allows the user to create objects, weapons, composed of pure chakra."

"The day of Naruto's birth, it was Kushina who who bound Kyuubi in glowing chains while the Yondaime sealed it into their son. Moments after giving birth, wounded and weary, and yet still she had the strength to hold down the most powerful demon in the world, though it cost her life."

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, that just doesn't sound possible. How could one person, with or without a bloodline, possibly hold off the Kyuubi alone?" Kakashi protested.

"She did have two significant advantages..." Sarutobi admitted solemnly. "Both stemming from one secret, which you are to never reveal: Kushina was Kyuubi's second jinchuuriki. She had chakra levels that were far superior to Naruto's current capacity, and knew the demon better than anyone. She was able to use these factors, in conjunction to her manifested chains to bind it."

"But how? How could these 'chakra chains' effect a beast who was able to ignore the most powerful weapons and jutsu the village could muster?" Kakashi reiterated, it simply stretched belief that any human could do such a thing.

"Because, like calls to like."Sarutobi explained. "The beasts are not made of physical matter as we recognize it. They are chakra made manifest, just as the Uzumaki bloodline techniques are. To attack a bijuu with weapons of steel is comparable to carving a statue with a senbon, but Kushina was able to turn the Kyuubi's own power against itself, thereby buying Minato the time he needed."

Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair and gazed out the large window and over the village. It was difficult to imagine something capable of restraining a being like Kyuubi... Though was it any more of a stretch to imagine that a bit of ink on a baby's belly could do the same?

"You said Kushina was the Kyuubi's second jinchuuriki... May I ask who the first was?" Kakashi asked, hoping to shift the subject a little, before it got too strange.

"Mito," Sarutobi replied, chuckling a little. "You could say it's something of a family tradition by now, though it was a closely guarded secret for them, there were simply too many witnesses for the same to be done for Naruto."

"I'd known Kushina nearly as long as sensei, but never once did I sense any of Kyuubi's chakra in her, could that have been an effect of her bloodline training?" Kakashi wondered aloud.

"It is possible, I had never asked as to the sealing method used, but I imagine Mito's was somewhat reliant on her own abilities, since she sealed the beast into herself during the battle of the Valley of the End." Sarutobi replied.

Kakashi turned a wide eye to the old man. Really, it was hard to believe what he was hearing. He was suddenly thankful that Naruto wasn't born a girl if these kinds of impossible things were so common for the women in his family.

"Sealed... in herself..." Kakashi repeated. "Why, exactly?"

"Madara supposedly summoned Kyuubi with a summoning jutsu, and Hashirama-sensei was too busy fighting him to stop and help her deal with it." Sarutobi explained with a careless shrug. He now realized why Hashirama-sensei had explained it so carelessly to him: It was fun.

"Okay, not asking another question on the subject," Kakashi muttered, rubbing his forehead in annoyance. He was curious how someone could summon a bijuu, but expected the answer to that question would just make his head hurt more.

If the ninja of old could manage things on that scale regularly, maybe the codgers who complained about 'ninja these days being too soft' had a point.

"If it makes you feel better, it took me a while to accept it too," Sarutobi remarked comfortingly.

"It's certainly a lot more than I expected to hear when I decided to mention an unusual henge," Kakashi replied.

"I suppose in the end all that matters is that Naruto seems to have an almost unknown bloodline, and we have no clue as to how to help him harness it." Kakashi said in a tired voice, after a few moments.

"There may be a way..." Sarutobi admitted. "If Kushina left any advise on the subject in her 'Last Words'."

"You mean she actually made one?" Kakashi remarked with some surprise. "I didn't think she was the type."

"Under considerable protest, I must admit," Sarutobi agreed. "But eventually her husband and those of us who were less than confident of her immortality managed to persuade her."

Kakashi smiled in fond remembrance. It wasn't hard to imagine the fiery redhead arguing against her own demise. She always stubborn about what she wanted, and woe fell to anyone or anything that got in her way.

Her son was a lot like her in that sense, neither one would tolerate things like 'maybe' or 'what if' appearing in their plans.

"Then there's nothing to do but wait..." Kakashi mused. But if her 'Last Words' didn't tell Naruto of his hereditary gift, Kakashi would do so himself, and do what he could to help the boy develop it, just as he had promised to do for Sasuke.

"Well," Kakashi said cheerfully a moment later. "On a completely unrelated note: When and where is the next chunin exam located?"

"Kakashi..." Sarutobi began sternly.

"Before you object, remember these cute little genin managed to defeat two chunin assassins in fair combat, and sucker punch Zabuza Momochi." Kakashi pointed out, smoothly forestalling the Hokage's objection.

Sarutobi sighed in acceptance of this fact.

"Very well," he conceded. "They will be taking place in Konoha this time, so I'll permit their entry, but only so long as they understand that the offer is for them to accept or decline. And there are to be none of your manipulations, understand?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied with a confident smile.

"The exams are to begin in five weeks, in early July," Sarutobi explained. "The general announcement will be withheld until two weeks prior, so keep quiet about it."

Kakashi nodded in agreement as he started planning on how to best whip his soldiers into shape for the tests to come.

Before Kakashi could leave, the seal on Sarutobi's desk began to glow, and a voice distorted by the communications seal spoke up.

"Sorry to interrupt your meeting sir, but Hikari-san has arrived and would like to speak with you."

"Send her in," Sarutobi answered, gesturing for Kakashi to wait, before releasing the privacy jutsu and retrieving a mission scroll from a drawer in his desk.

The door opened and let in a freckled woman with pale brown hair tied back into two short braids at her neck. She had apparently arrived in something of a rush, if her outfit was anything to go by, a plain shirt worn with a leather apron-dress and equally durable shoes.

She shot a glance at Kakashi as she crossed the room to the Hokage's desk and bowed crisply. "I apologize for the intrusion Hokage-sama, but I had heard the team I requested had returned, and thought it might be wise to stop by..."

"And ensure I hadn't forgotten?" the Hokage prompted when the usually courteous woman paused, unable to find a diplomatic alternative to the potentially offending idea.

"I intended no insult, Hokage-sama," Hikari protested, her cheeks lighting up in embarrassment, highlighting her freckles cutely.

"None taken," Sarutobi assured her. "In fact, it had slipped my mind for a time. Kakashi here has just finished his debriefing and it was quite... distracting. No one was substantially harmed of course, but I'm sure you can understand my preoccupation."

"Of course, Hokage-sama,"Hikari replied with a happy sigh.

She was relieved both that the venerable leader hadn't taken the unintentional affront personally, and that the team was safe. It would have been horrible of her to act as selfishly as she had if it were otherwise.

"But since you are both here," Sarutobi continued, passing the scroll to Kakashi. "This is your next mission, and client. She has specifically requested your team for a week long D-rank task for the Suzuhara Shop."

"However, I do trust that she will not mind if your team takes some time off to recuperate from the strains of your last missions, correct?" He looked to the woman with a pointed prompt.

"Certainly not, Hokage-sama!" she agreed immediately, bowing to the two men as she backed out of the room self-consciously. "Thank you very much Hokage-sama, Kakashi-san."

"Now, I hope that's everything," Sarutobi muttered. He was far enough behind in paperwork as it was.

"There is one last thing..." Kakashi admitted quietly. "When she delivered the evidence, Haku told me that the reason Gato wanted Naruto was because some 'trade partner' wanted him. Dead or Alive."

"There are few reasons to be interested in him specifically, unless we have one hell of an information leak, and even fewer which would be just as well served by a corpse..."

Sarutobi nodded grimly, Naruto's status as a jinchuuriki was known by far too many to realistically expect the other nations were unaware, but they wouldn't wish him dead for that.

There was no profit in a dead jinchuuriki, especially since it was fairly obvious that he wasn't being trained as a weapon the way most were, and there was little reason to expect Kyuubi wouldn't eventually pay a visit to the village that released it from it's prison of flesh.

And while there were many, particularly in the Land of Earth, who would happily kill Naruto for his parentage, none would guess the nearly friendless orphan to be heir to the greatest ninja Konoha had ever produced.

At least there was some advantage to the abysmal reputation he possessed within his home village.

All this added up to one obvious truth: Gato's conspirator had to be within Konoha itself.

"I will set some of our... more covert... people on it immediately," Sarutobi assured Kakashi, penning a note to Danzo as he did.

Black ops such as these were the entire reason he had created Root in the first place, might as well use them to locate and pull this weed before too much harm could grow from it.

Kakashi nodded his understanding and left in a whirl of leaves and wind.

* * *

Naruto ran through the village, happy to be home.

Over the rooftops he bounded, high above the unseeing eyes of those who ignored or despised him, content in the knowledge that he was no longer restricted to simply fantasizing about his glorious future as a ninja. Now, he truly lived it.

He'd even saved a whole country!

Not alone, but still... How many ninja could claim that about their first mission outside the village?

Heck, even the Yondaime would be hard pressed to top that one.

So high were his spirits, he felt like he could almost fly to Ichiraku's. And he would have if he could, it'd been far too long since he'd had a good bowl or ten of ramen.

Naruto ducked underneath the curtain half hiding the shop's counter, but swallowed the enthusiastic greeting he'd planned to call out when he found himself facing a solid wall of backs.

Every seat at the counter was occupied, even his 'super-special-only-for-Naruto-because-who'd-want-to-sit-where-the-demon-may-have-farted' stool.

Naruto glanced at the clock hanging on the wall beside the entryway and realized he was far earlier than he usually stopped by, and it seemed the 'lunch rush' was still going on.

Naruto quietly followed the short, narrow hallway around the kitchen area towards the side room that Teuchi had set up as a more social and relaxed dining room a few years back, when Ayame convinced him that it'd be more convenient for ninja teams and families.

It worked out quite well, and they had slowly converted the former dry goods storeroom into something larger and more presentable, expanding from it's initial two tables to a current eight. But it was still plain and rather simple, as Teuchi felt that the food should carry the restaurant's success.

That area was crowded too, with every table occupied almost to capacity.

Naruto looked on in surprise. This was the busiest he'd ever seen the restaurant in all the years he'd been coming here.

He stood at the entryway, watching silently, until he spotted Ayame threading her way through the densely packed room towards an elderly couple, with a plate in each hand.

He took a happy step towards his surrogate sister before he realized something seemed funny,,,

Why would Ichiraku's have plates?

He looked around, paying attention to the tables more than the customers this time and grew steadily more worried.

He couldn't spot a single ramen bowl in the room.

Gyoza and tempura. Yakitori and tonkatsu, and a host of apparently stir fried dishes as far as the eye could see.

In a blink he was across the room and on his knees, hands fisted in Ayame's apron.

"Ayame-neechan! Say it isn't so!" he cried.

The young woman rocked dangerously from the unexpected assault, but long years of practice helped her save the couple's dishes from disaster involving a neighboring ninja's head.

She set the now staring couple's dishes in front of them, and apologized politely, before turning her attention to the boy.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" she asked kindly, crouching down and looking the boy in the eye. He looked near to tears for some reason. "Did something go wrong on the mission?"

In a display that was both creepy and endearing, Ralts mirrored his expression perfectly, and Ayame had to resist the urge to grab both of her upset friends in a comforting hug... but she knew Naruto was a cuddler when he was upset, and she wouldn't get any answers if he was talking into her apron.

"The.. The ramen!" Naruto replied, distraught.

"Yes? What about it?" Ayame prompted patiently.

"Where did it go!" Naruto asked loudly, on the verge of frustrated panic.

The nearby ninja put the pieces together first and started laughing quietly. The people at his table stared at him for a second, before joining his laughter.

Ralts eyes the group curiously, their mockery could be deemed cruel, but she felt no malice from them...

Naruto backed away from her, his panic about the ramen morphing into fear and embarrassment quickly as he moved toward the exit.

"Cut that out! Naruto, come with me," Ayame called sharply in the voice her mother had used to command instant obedience. Thankfully it was a tone that worked rather well on most people, and neither Naruto nor the customers were exceptions, and they fell silent.

She dragged the boy over to the kitchen door and ducked inside, pulling him in after her.

"Order up on table three," Teuchi called over when he heard his daughter enter.

"On it Dad," Ayame replied. "I brought Naruto in here. He just got back and kinda freaked out. He thought we'd stopped making ramen, if you can believe that."

Teuchi paused in his chopping to send a smile and a greeting Naruto's way.

Returning to his work, Teuchi nodded towards the age worn stove and it's burden of two large pots.

"Ramen's right there," he said reassuringly. "Right where it's always been, and where it always will be, as long as this shop stays standing."

"We just added some more variety," he explained. "Ayame's been pestering me for years to expand the menu a bit, and I just never saw a reason. But you know how it goes, I guess I got tired of saying no."

"Don't let him lead you on, Naruto," Ayame called cheerfully as she returned. "That old softie only agreed so you could come around more often... We missed you," she said with a soft smile.

"But I already talked to that teacher of yours, so don't think you're just coming in for ramen marathons anymore,' Ayame warned him, brandishing her favorite ladle as if it were a weapon.

Naruto nodded immediately. He'd already seen what she could do with that spoon when motivated. And ninja or not, she was patient enough to wait for him to come back and take his punishment like a man, until which point he'd be on a forced fast in regards to his beloved food.

The three chatted a bit, with Naruto catching up on the events in Konoha as best he could, since the two were still rather busy.

About ten minutes passed before a group of civilian men at the counter called over to Ayame to settle their bills.

She settled with them quickly, tactfully dodging one of the younger men's blatant flirting.

She deposited the money in the register, rolling her eyes at her father's muttered imprecations against her ineffectual admirer.

"Well, there's a few seats free now, if you're hungry," She said, half expecting Naruto to vault right over the counter and into one.

"You bet I am!" Naruto exclaimed, looking like he was about to fulfill Ayame's expectations.

Ralts poked him in the back of the head though, and the two shared a look before Naruto relaxed.

"Actually, I need to see Kiba an' his team first," he said. "Are they still here?"

"Kiba Inuzuka, from Kurenai Yuuhi's team you mean?" Ayame asked, to be certain. Kiba was a pretty common name among the Inuzuka, but not many of the meat loving family frequented the ramen shop.

"Yep, that's him," Naruto confirmed cheerfully.

"They should be, I'll take you over," Ayame assured him, pushing open the door for them.

"Thanks!" Naruto replied, grinning at the idea of his surprise gifts. "Thanks for the pep-talk Jiisan," he called back as he left the small kitchen.

They moved through the room, apparently aiming for the corner table Naruto hadn't seen from the door, hidden as it was by a group of boisterous Akimichi, to say nothing of the veritable feast laid out before them.

As he tried to slip past the table with the rude ninja who'd laughed at him, the man flagged him down.

"Hey kid, sorry about earlier," he said. "It's just that you reminded me of the first time I had a long mission and came back to a similar situation. You just got back yourself, right?"

Naruto nodded, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Thought so," the man replied. "I once spent six months tracking a traitor down in Swamp Country. Lived on rats, snakes, and ration bars for most of it, and by the end I was literally dreaming of a big juicy steak from Aburu's."

"I get back to Konoha, and what do I find? Place totally gone. Got completely gutted by a kitchen fire a couple months before. And Old Man Aburu decided to retire rather than try to rebuild, not that I can blame him, considering his age and all."

"But I tell ya, it got me down bad."

"You shoulda seen him," the kunoichi at his table added. "He cried like Gai at a chick flick."

"Hey, don't diss the manly tears," the first argued. "Especially over Aburu's steaks."

"Here here!" agreed the entire Akimichi table, and a smattering of other diners.

"Then one day I got called to the tower," the man continued. "When I get there, you know who's waiting for me? Old Man Aburu himself! Turns out Hokage-sama personally asked him to come out of retirement for a day. Called it a reward for my faithful service."

He sighed in happy remembrance and held up his glass. "To the Hokage!" he called, and the whole room responded, toasting their beloved leader.

"I'm sure we all have stories like that," the man saved, gesturing to the ninja in the room. "But yours has a happy ending, so that makes it funnier than most."

"Yo's Sushi," one of the now solemn Akimichi called out.

"Konpa," another patron said, remembering a Karaoke bar that had closed a few years before.

"Jimaku," a third added, naming the theater that had been run by a group of foreign film enthusiasts, for the short time it had been able to remain in business.

"Aidoku's!" a man called out, before yelping in pain as his date kicked him for naming the now closed store, known for carrying lewd and scandalous merchandise.

"See's Candy shop," a kunoichi added mournfully. She had just discovered it's absence a few days before.

"They're still around," someone piped up."They just moved to a new location over on koujou street. It's bigger now, and they have more equipment, so they're making more of their candy in-house."

"Changed their sign too," another added.

The kunoichi grabbed the last few skewers from her plate, threw down some money, and practically ran from the shop with a shout of gratitude.

Behind her, the room broke into laughter once more.

"See?" the ninja asked with a wide smile. "Another happy ending."

"No sweat," Naruto replied with a wide grin. "Everybody loves a happy ending!"

The man who mentioned Aidoku's got kicked again when he started snickering.

The two said their goodbyes and Naruto continued on his way, somehow wondering at the strange camaraderie he felt with the man, as well as those who had admitted to similar problems.

Naruto walked over to where he could now see Kiba standing near his table, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Show off," the canine lover muttered when Naruto reached him. Akamaru yipped a happy greeting from his partner's head, and Cranidos growled a mild challenge from his position half hidden under the table.

"Not my fault they know a winner when they see one!" Naruto countered, punching his friend in the shoulder good naturedly.

"Yeah right. If you're the winner, it's only cause no one else entered the contest. I guarantee we'll top anything your team managed to do, any day and in half the time!" Kiba boasted.

"You wish, Bone Breath. You wouldn't believe how tough the mission was. We fought missing-nin and everything!" Naruto replied.

"If you'd like to join us, I'm sure we'd love to hear all about it," Kurenai offered before Kiba could start an argument. She could see the Inuzuka twitching at the opportunity to bark at someone who would bark back, unlike his teammates.

"That's a great idea!" Ayame agreed. "Naruto was just saying how hungry he is too!"

"I guess I could stick around... If no one objects I mean," Naruto agreed hesitantly.

"Hah! Like we'd let you leave," Kiba answered with a fierce grin. "You gotta tell us about that mission of yours so I know how much I gotta do to top it. Don't wanna go all out from the start, they might make me Hokage too soon! I wanna see the world a bit before the stick me behind that desk."

Hinata nodded emphatically, face red and eyes wide.

"Your tale could be most enlightening, Uzumaki-san," Shino commented, drawing Naruto's attention for the first time to where he sat, unobtrusively near the wall.

The blond did a double-take and exclaimed: "Holy cow, I can see your face!" Which was true, though the boy still wore his omnipresent glasses.

Kiba let out a bark of laughter, and even Hinata and Kurenai laughed a little at the not unexpected reaction, and Shino's mildly affronted expression.

Shino's unusually visible mouth turned into a slight frown, as he looked down to the shirt visible beneath his near completely unzipped jacket.

"Is there something... unpleasant about that fact?" he asked with a barely detectable sour note.

"No! No, I just never saw you without it zipped up to like here," Naruto replied, holding his hand up to his nose like Kakashi's mask. He hadn't missed the spike of displeasure in Shino, and worried that he'd hurt the boy's feelings.

"Ah, I see," Shino replied. "That is my preference, but dining is more convenient in this manner."

He picked up a sauteed stick of what Naruto guessed was some kind of vegetable and brought it to his chest, where a small pair of claws darted out from under the jacket to grab it.

"Nincada dislikes light and open spaces," Shino explained, "so I choose to compromise for optimal efficiency."

"I getcha," Naruto replied, dropping his carrier to the floor and settling with Ralts onto the bench-like seat next to Kiba, who had slid in beside Shino. Across from them sat Kurenai, Hinata and Vulpix.

"You were right, Hinata," Kurenai said with a sly smile. "Ralts-chan is a cutie."

Hinata turned even redder as she tried to disappear into her oversized jacket.

"Isn't she just?" Ayame agreed. "But it's too busy for me to feed her like I usually do..."

Hinata's breath froze as she realized this was her chance! She could bond with Ralts-chan and make herself look good to Naruto-kun all at once!

_'I can feed myself... if you have more like this," _Ralts said, her telepathic voice heard only by Naruto and Ayame.

One of the chunks of fried meat on Kiba's plate lifted itself into the air and floated, until Akamaru leaned out over Kiba's staring face and chomped it.

"Hey! That was mine!" Kiba protested, looking up at his dog, who just yipped at him. "Fine, I'm taking one of yours." Kiba decided, taking one of the pieces of karaage from the plate he'd ordered for his partners and popping it into his mouth with a smirk.

"Did you just hear that?" Ayame asked, before Hinata could spark the courage to make her offer.

"Yeah, she can talk now! Isn't that cool?" Naruto answered excitedly, to the rest of the group's confusion.

"R-really?" Hinata gasped, her face now whiter than her eyes. "H-has she t-told you anything... um... s-secret?" She asked, barely whispering at the end.

"Secret? Like what?" Naruto asked cluelessly.

"Ralts-san is capable of sensing emotions, correct?" Shino clarified. "Perhaps Hinata-san is simply concerned that she might develop an unpleasant habit for gossip."

"Yeah, like that time Ino got it in her head that Iruka-sensei was into guys. Remember how much trouble that caused?" Kiba added helpfully.

'Oh, yeah, I get it now," Naruto replied. "But Ralts-chan's too nice to do somethin' like that, right?"

Ralts rolled her eyes, amused that her partner couldn't see the truth of the situation, but closed her eyes and with visible effort expanded her telepathy to encompass the humans at their table.

"_I will not share anything that a person wishes to keep hidden," _Ralts explained. _"If the person hiding their emotions is afraid of them becoming known, it would do little good and possibly much harm if I were to do so."_

Ralts relaxed into Naruto's arms, it was tiring to stretch her mind in so many directions at once.

"Whaddaya mean it could hurt?" Kiba asked in annoyance. He'd been quite vocal in his encouragement that Hinata should 'just man up and tell the dumbass'.

"_Fear and love cannot coexist in a healthy relationship,"_ Ralts explained quietly. _"One emotion must conquer, or both will become corrupted..."_

"How could a pokemon know something like that?" Ayame asked in wonder.

"She says she remembers," Naruto answered for his partner, who was rubbing her head with one fingerless hand, while he pet her hair comfortingly.

"Pokemon have the ability to remember important events in their ancestor's pasts. One of hers must have dealt with a similar situation," Kurenai explained to her students and Ayame. She hadn't taught them about the whole 'hereditary memory' thing yet, since it wasn't usually an important lesson.

"Wish I had a trick like that..." Ayame muttered. "I would kill for Gramma's karumetou recipe..." She had fond memories of the brown sugar cake from her childhood.

"I can sympathize," Kurenai replied, thinking of a number of things her ancestors knew that had been lost to the ages.

"Oh drat!" Ayame suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot I'm still supposed to be working! Let' see... For Ralts-chan... I'll call it a finger food sampler plate... and for Naruto?"

"One extra larger miso pork ramen please!" Naruto answered enthusiastically.

"And a mixed tempura plate..." Ayame muttered. "Excellent choices, I'm sure you'll love it all," she declared with a challenging glint in her eye.

"Alright, Ayame-neechan," Naruto replied in a grumble.

She flashed him a sunny smile and left in a rush, vanishing into the kitchen to deliver the order before popping back out to catch up with the rest of the customer's needs.

"So, why don't you tell us about this mission of yours?" Kurenai prompted, hoping that Naruto's inherent exuberance would crack the pall of despair surrounding Hinata.

The girl hadn't taken Ralts' explanation well. Probably because it was so true.

As much as she obviously liked the boy, her fear of him was just as great. Fear of rejection. Fear of disappointment, be it her own or his. Fear that no matter how things might go if he found out, something would ruin it.

And so Hinata ran from the potentially painful future, taking what comfort she could in the familiar fear and crippling shyness.

Naruto dismissed his confusion at Ralts' oddly pointed comments and began his story with typical excitement, while Shino and Kurenai gave their full attention, and Kiba sat in grudgingly respectful silence, Hinata sat listening with a sad smile.

She pulled Vulpix into her lap and fed her from the plate of lightly seared beef she'd ordered for the pokemon.

Of course, Naruto's voice was far louder than was strictly required for the small table, but none of the other diners complained, instead giving some of their own attention to the boy's rough but enthusiastic oration.

* * *

Hinata let Naruto's voice wash over her, bleeding away her pain bit by bit.

It filled her with a pleasant tingle to be so close to his excitement, almost like she was truly a part of his life.

She knew on most days, she'd be in the middle of a girlish fantasy. Him the strong handsome husband, her the loving and supportive wife, listening as he related his day as Hokage and hero...

But not today.

Today there would be no cheerful greeting, no tender kiss hello. He would ask who she was and how she got into his home. She was just the quiet, dark, weird stalker who watched from afar, too afraid to stand beside him.

She'd been relieved when Ralts had said she'd kept Hinata's secret, but that relief had bloomed into bitter self recrimination at the reason, accurate as it was.

She pet Vulpix, feeding the regal pokemon whenever the she opened her mouth, awaiting the homage that was her due.

Hinata honored her partner's silent requests, her own bowl of ramen sitting forgotten and as cold as her own misery.

She'd ordered the soup to help herself feel closer to Naruto, a useless gesture she now realized. Naruto was more than ramen and determination, strength and kindness...

Despite her turbulent emotions, Hinata listened intently to Naruto's tale, taking pride in his efforts as he worked tirelessly to achieve his dreams.

Her heart soared as he related his efforts to conquer his notoriously poor chakra control, and she nearly giggled when she imagined him in his cat-like henge, and at the banter it inspired with Kiba.

Ayame returned with their food just as the story reached the ominous bridge.

She and the others listened eagerly as he described the battle, and Kurenai was far from alone in cursing Kakashi's reckless gamble on the genin's skill.

When he explained Tazuna's deception, the grumbling changed targets, at least until Naruto confirmed how bad things were in the impoverished country.

The image he painted of his first sight of the bridge was nearly inconceivable. The largest thing he'd ever seen, other than the giant monument.

He claimed it to be as tall at the Hokage's tower, and as wide as the village wall was tall. An exaggeration of course, but not by nearly as much as most of the listeners assumed.

The room fell silent as Naruto explained Kakashi's battle against Zabuza, grabbing a long tempura fried shrimp and swinging it around like a sword for emphasis.

Ayame sighed in frustration when she saw him dip the impromptu weapon in his soup before eating it.

Quiet murmurs began anew after he explained the way he and Sasuke had saved their sensei. Ninja debating whether the Uchiha's talent or Naruto's prankster ingenuity had carried the day.

So distracted were they that only Kurenai and Hinata noticed the fond tone Naruto used when he mentioned the hunter ninja who'd retrieved Zabuza's corpse, though Kiba did notice the boy's nervous tic when he glossed over his punishment from Kakashi.

Of course, Kiba had plenty of experience seeing that specific tell, considering how much trouble he and Naruto had gotten into in the academy.

Hinata looked up in worry. Why would Naruto-kun talk that way about a faceless foreign ninja?

He talked a bit about their tree climbing training, which left team eight flabbergasted. They had learned that literally the first day they'd been a team!

Though Kurenai had cheated a bit... By making it part of their test, but it had been a good exercise that served two purposes: Training teamwork, and dragging Hinata out of her shell a bit, since the girl was the only one who knew the skill at the time.

As a result, Hinata had been forced to step up and help the others learn so they could pass, which was part of Kurenai's goal.

Hearing that Kakashi had done similar did cause a twinge of annoyance for the sneaky bastard, but at least he could recognize a good idea when he saw it.

He mentioned Tazuna's family, and the rest of the people of Wave, trapped as they were in the chains of poverty by Gato, and his expressive voice painted a picture of their depression that was hard to deny.

Naruto told of how Ralts had found the first shiny leaf, and Kakashi set them to find more, a task in which they succeeded.

While he talked about the leaves ability and touched very lightly on the details he'd learned, he fished around in Ralts' carrier and retrieved three of the ones he'd brought back to Konoha.

"That reminds me," He said. "I brought these back for you an' your team Kiba." He held them out to his friend, who took them somewhat abashedly.

"Um... thanks?" The Inuzuka replied, passing two to his teammates.

Kurenai wasn't the only one caught off guard by the unexpected generosity, and once she'd managed to dislodge the chunk of takoyaki she'd accidentally swallowed nearly whole, she turned a shocked look on the blond.

"You found some Sogen Handou, and you're just giving three away?" she asked.

"Yeah... well, actually I'm givin' seven away," he replied. "I gave one to Haku-chan..." He paused a moment and Hinata looked up from the wonderful gift in shock. Naruto shrugged and continued with a small smile, "I gave one to Haku-chan already, an' I got three for you guys an' three more for Shikamaru an' Chouji's team."

More than one set of chopsticks hit the floor at this declaration. It wasn't every day an orphan stated his intent to give away over two hundred thousand ryo worth of valuables.

"Not that your generosity is unappreciated, Uzumaki-san, but why would you give such a valuable commodity away, when you could sell them for a considerable price?" Shino asked.

"Kakashi-sensei asked me the same thing," Naruto admitted after a moment puzzling through Shino's language, his reading had expanded his vocabulary a good deal, but Shino seemed to enjoy using a lot of big words. "But I figure it's a great gift for my old buddies, an' I got 'em for free anyway."

"Besides, Tsunami brought all the ones they could find to sell to Jiji an' help get her home back up an' running," he finished with a shrug.

"Then I thank you, Uzumaki-san," Shino replied, bowing his head as formally as he could while seated.

"Yeah man, thanks a lot!" Kiba added. "It'll be even easier to beat you to the top now!"

"Th-thank you... Naruto-kun..." Hinata mumbled, her cheeks pink, though her mind was still locked on that name... Haku-chan... Naruto had only ever referred to Sakura and Ralts with that suffix before...

"No sweat!" Naruto replied with a happy grin. "It's part of a Hokage's job to help his ninja get stronger, so don't let me down!"

Hinata's breath caught as Naruto picked up his story once more, he had told them to get stronger... that was almost like asking her personally, right? Naruto-kun wouldn't have given her something so valuable if he didn't have faith that she would be able to use it properly, right? She owed it to him to fulfill his faith in her!

Hinata was yanked out of her happy contemplation by the phrase that had surprised her a moment before: 'Haku-chan'.

Naruto was talking about how he'd decided to just nap in the woods that night, and how he'd woken up to find a pretty girl nearby, and how she'd taught him a bit about herbal healing.

_'That could have been me!'_ She railed inside her own mind. '_I could have been the one teaching Naruto-kun... all alone in the woods, surrounded by flowers...'_ Hinata's thoughts drifted from the considerable plant lore she knew towards less practical and more romantic pursuits.

_'Did you ever offer?' a_ voice broke in, derailing her fantasy before it even reached the picnic lunch in the forest stage.

Hinata met Ralts' stare as the pokemon floated a dumpling over and ate it.

Hinata couldn't answer in the face of Ralts' knowing gaze, and lowered her head dejectedly, fantasy fled beyond retrieval.

Naruto's story flowed towards the final confrontation, his false realization of Haku's identity and Kakashi's correction, his fight against the scraggly samurai, and Tsunami and Inari's heroic actions therein...

And the battle at the bridge.

While most of what he knew of the early portions of that fight came from what he heard from Haku and Sakura, he didn't let that hamper his tale.

He was able to describe Sasuke's fight with some faithfulness, since Haku had told him of it, and admitted some respect for the Uchiha as a ninja, if not as a person. All Sasuke would ever say on the subject was that he got his eyes, and that was all that mattered.

Despite Naruto's best efforts, Sakura's battle against Froslass seemed like little more than a mud fight, at least until Charmeleon appeared to finish matters.

Naruto explained his confrontation with Haku, and the subsequent rescue of Lapras to mixed mutters, which he didn't notice.

Hinata and a number of others in the audience felt it was a sweet and noble gesture, while others argued that it was recklessly soft for a ninja.

The story continued through Zabuza's demise, far more touching than one would have expected from the 'Demon of the Mist', and onto Gato's gruesome death and the total annihilation of his thug army.

He ended the story with the completion of the bridge and the steps the people of Wave had taken to build, including scouring the island for every Sogen Handou they could find, and Haku's departure.

Naruto nearly leapt out of his sandals when applause erupted from around him, as the rest of Ichiraku's patrons made their approval known.

He blushed as brightly as Hinata at the unexpected attention and immediately ducked into his seat, trying to focus on his now cold food.

"Thank you for the wonderful story," Kurenai said with a kind smile. Her team made similar sentiments, with Hinata merely nodding silently.

_'At least Haku is gone," _Hinata thought with some relief.

_'For now,'_ Ralts interjected. _'She did promise to see him again, and as Naruto said, she will write...'_

_'Why are you doing this to me?' _Hinata thought angrily at the pokemon who'd barged into her mind yet again. _'Why can't you just leave me alone!'_

_'I do what I must to protect Naruto,' _the little pokemon replied. _'You care for him deeply, yet you fear him in equal measure. This makes you very dangerous to him.'_

_'Haku wanted to kill him!'_ Hinata protested.

_'She didn't. But you have the potential to kill Naruto's heart, if you were to claim to love him while your fear still rules you. Such a thing might cost him his humanity. I will not permit that." _Ralts replied calmly.

_'Then you do hate me...' _Hinata thought sadly.

_'No,'_ Ralts replied. _'I wish only for Naruto's happiness, and so long as you remain as you are, you cannot be that.'_

_'But I'm not afraid of Naruto-kun!' _Hinata objected.

_'Then should I tell him how you feel?' _Ralts asked sharply, glaring at Hinata, but tightly leashing her feelings so that Naruto's wouldn't sense them through their bond.

Hinata couldn't help the gasp of worry and chill that touched her spine at that thought. The secret that she'd guarded so long being stolen from her and revealed to Naruto.

_'I thought not,'_ Ralts said when Hinata looked away sadly.

_'He knows you are afraid of him. He doesn't know why, but he has been aware for some time,' _Ralts pointed out. _'I felt you should know that.'_

Hinata flinched severely at this knowledge, a movement only Naruto missed of those at the table, and only because his face was hidden by the bowl he was drinking from.

_'Will Haku make him happy?' _Hinata thought, and her mind-voice sounded defeated. _'Does she... Does she love Naruto-kun?'_

_'I don't know,' _Ralts admitted. _'Her feelings were unfocused, after all she went through...'_

Hinata remained silent, if thoughtful after that.

Naruto ate three bowls of ramen, and the plates of varied foods that Ayame chose to accompany them, which he admitted to be tasty only at Ayame's prompting, before deciding to take his leave.

As team eight and Naruto went their separate ways, Ralts offered one last thought to Hinata...

_'Naruto would never give up so easily.'_

The words hung in the Hyuuga maiden's mind for a long time, and she knew they were true. How long had Naruto been trying to get a date from Sakura without success? Could she really surrender without really trying at all?

Shameful as it was to admit, the lack of competition was the only reason she felt she'd had a chance with the sunny boy in the first place. She was too plain, too weak, to really earn the special boy's attentions.

But she was no longer the only one with her eyes set on Naruto-kun...

There was another kunoichi who wanted his affections...

Stronger than Sasuke...

Prettier than Sakura...

And almost certainly, more determined than herself...

And Naruto-kun wouldn't stay in Konoha forever. He was too strong, too driven, to be wasted in that way.

He would leave again, and go into the world where women not blinded by the Uchiha heir waited.

If she were to have any chance to claim the man she loved as her own, she might actually have to fight for him, physically and figuratively, against Haku and others.

When Kurenai asked her team if they wanted to try for a C-rank mission, she was second only to Kiba in agreement.

Seeing the pride in Kurenai-sensei's eyes, Hinata knew she made the right choice.

She just hoped she didn't have to fight monsters like Naruto-kun had to get there... well, not yet anyway... And who knows? Maybe after a few easy bandit fights she might feel brave enough to tackle the really scary stuff...

_'Please... wait for me Naruto-kun...'_

* * *

As is the nature of gossip and rumor, it was a very short time before the village knew of Team Kakashi's exploits in Wave.

And as stories are wont to do, they changed in the telling, often casting the Uchiha or their sensei more in the hero's role.

But many of the details remained constant: The Uchiha's unleashed sharingan. Kakashi's defeat of Zabuza Momochi. Naruto and his enemy's truce to rescue the drowning Lapras.

And while the people of Konoha were proud of the former facts, and the latter left them divided both in opinion and intensity of inclination, there was one group who's feelings on the subject were unanimous.

The pokemon of Konohagakure found the jinchuuriki's actions most telling indeed.

* * *

Later that day, Kakashi stood before the memorial stone, giving his greetings to the ghosts of his past.

He traced Minato-sensei's name, thinking of the Yondaime's secret wife, who's name was never added, since she had retired months before her death.

"Last Words..." he muttered sadly. A pretty name for a tragic tradition...

The bloodline scrolls were known by many names, but all meant the same thought: A ninja's final gift to descendants they might never meet.

Of course, this wasn't always true. Sometimes they were used to deliver words a parent simply didn't know how to say. Kakashi's father had been one such.

The nearly legendary ninja, fallen to disgrace for his decision to protect his allies rather than complete his assigned mission, had atoned for his perceived sins with typical stoicism, attending to the ritual of seppuku silently and without protest.

But he had left a heartfelt goodbye for his son, beseeching the boy to understand his father's values, despite the price he had paid to adhere to them.

Despite this entreaty, and Kakashi's supposed genius, it took far too long for him to take his father's message to heart, and he had been atoning for his mistakes ever since.

But if Kushina had left Naruto a message, the boy would give it all the attention it deserved and more.

In fact, only the possibility of his father leaving one as well would be enough to eclipse the joy Naruto would feel at the tangible evidence of his mother's love and acknowledgment.

Unfortunately, such a momentous gift would have to wait.

Chunin were always delivered to the Tomb of Ancestry shortly after promotion, where they would enact the blood offering and receive any gifts left by their forebears.

That was how it worked, and it was almost impossible to get the keepers, the so-called 'Living Dead' to make an exception.

The tomb was guarded by an elite crew numbering an estimated twenty or so, and the only loyalty those ninja knew was to their task, guarding the sacred repository.

Neither Kage nor council could command their obedience, but the price to join these elite-among-Anbu was steep.

The sacrifice of their very lives.

They surrendered their name, their identity, everything except those skills which were essential to the fulfillment of their duties.

They effectively ceased to be humans and became their masks, seen by the outside world only rarely, and never outside the confines of their new home, deep within the stone of the Hokage Monument.

Friends and family, on those rare occasions that a ninja drawn to the job had any left, were told of their tragic loss during a mission, and little more was said.

Kakashi himself had asked to become one of the isolated ninja, not long after Rin's death, when he saw no real reason to continue as a normal ninja, but had been refused.

The Hokage had cited the village's need for skilled ninja in his denial, and Kakashi couldn't find it in himself at that time to argue against his sympathetic leader.

Instead, Kakashi threw himself into his work with nearly reckless abandon.

By the end, he'd held one of thee highest mission success rates of any captain in Anbu history, and he'd returned alive and well from more solo missions than he'd expected or wanted.

And then, Sarutobi pulled him out of Anbu, claiming his... eccentricities... were upsetting his subordinates, and that his frequent independent missions were hindering his ability to lead his team effectively. Which may have been true, Kakashi would have to admit.

Almost immediately upon being reinstated as a standard jounin, he'd been sent out on team missions with other ninja; jounin, tokubetsu, and chunin.

Nothing so minor as to be insulting, but certainly easier than his 'all-or-nothing infiltrate and assassinate' solo jobs.

It was there that he met his current comrades face to face, as opposed to face to mask.

Asuma Sarutobi, recently returned from his time as one of the daimyo's guardians, calm and competent. Eternally patient when dealing with Kakashi's Anbu-developed tendencies.

Kurenai Yuuhi, chunin with her eyes on a promotion, and a certain Sarutobi. Elegant and bold, with a protective streak Kakashi could only respect, and steer clear of if necessary.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the consummate team, capable of blending their efforts so smoothly that communication seemed superfluous.

Anko Mitarashi, loud and lovely, and a fellow reintegrating Anbu. She and he had a great deal in common, coping with the seemingly strange openness of the normal ninja lifestyle.

Even Gai, ridiculous windbag of the leaf, who turned Kakashi's honest boredom during a mission to wipe out an admittedly large group of criminals into a years-long rivalry.

Not that teasing the jolly green jounin hadn't grown on him... It was hard not to with the man's overblown reactions.

And slowly, little by little, and against his better judgement, they had become his friends.

He first realized it the day he noticed that he was smiling at one of Gai's rants, and it felt natural, not the forced, nearly mocking expression he typically wore.

After that, things improved by steps and staggers, until he could honestly say he was content.

Even Haunter's recurrent appearances in his life seemed more nostalgic than ominous.

Until Sarutobi once more rocked the pedestal of normality beneath him, informing Kakashi that he would be placed into circulation as a jounin-sensei at the following graduation.

Kakashi objected in every way he could imagine. Arguing, reasoning, outright disobedience on a level that should have gotten him demoted, and even begging on bended knee, but the Hokage was adamant.

So Kakashi had done his own homework, until he'd found a loophole. The jounin's final test had to be fair, but there was no strict definition of what 'fair' meant.

So he'd designed the bell test, using his own sensei's as a starting point, and put it into practice.

On paper it was a simple principle: put the whole above the one and work as a team. In practice, it was almost impossible to pass.

Thus, he could fail them openly on the first day, and avoid failing them later down the road, when it might prove fatal.

It worked flawlessly for years, until his three students beat the psychological portion of the test, which would have been enough to pass them, even without Haunter's cheating. Though he had been hoping to fail them on a technicality at that time.

And here he was, back from a mission that should have killed them all many times over, and successful beyond measure.

Five weeks to prepare for the exams... Oh, they'd be ready... There wouldn't be a genin alive who they couldn't stand together against by then.

This he promised. Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei... Kushina... He could do no less, not if he wanted to truly redeem himself.

* * *

Naruto tracked down team ten in training ground one, which was where Shino suggest he start searching.

The bug ninja had reminded him that it was the location of team ten's first meeting, and suspected they would have continued meeting there, just as teams eight and seven had kept their own.

He arrived to find an unusual sight, Shikamaru was playing some board game against his pokemon, who was moving the pieces with strange hook-like claws on it's rear, while Ino and Chouji sparred, and their sensei sat nearby watching.

Though to be honest, it seemed less like a spar and more like Ino ineffectually punching the large boy while yelling at him, and Chouji standing there with his head hung in shame.

Aron was attacking a large metal post with claws and ramming attacks, pausing periodically to happily gobble down whatever pieces it had managed to chip off. While Oddish danced around a fair distance from the rest of the group scattering a multicolored cloud of dust with each step.

"Hey guys!" Naruto called, strolling up to Shikamaru and waving towards the others.

"What's goin' on?" he asked Shikamaru with a gesture towards the sparring pair.

"Tolerance training," the lazy genius replied in a bored tone.

"Chouji kinda lost it when a client called him F-A-T, and he put a hole in her door before we calmed him down," Asuma explained.

"Stuck up troublemaker deserved it though," Shikamaru muttered.

"Be that as it may, it isn't our place it decide such things," Asuma chided. "We should have followed proper procedure, and reported any unacceptable actions to the mission assessment division at the tower."

Before Shikamaru could decide whether or not further debate would be too troublesome to pursue, Ino came to a rolling stop in the dust at Naruto's feet.

"You use the F word again, didn't you?" Asuma asked, as Shikamaru's shadow moved to ensnare his best friend.

"It's not my fault!" Ino protested, absently accepting Naruto's offered hand up. "I built up to it, I called him Tubby, Butterball, even Lardass, the whole range, but the second I say F... you know... He tried to smash me!"

"Such a drag..." Shikamaru grumbled with a long-suffering sigh, before calling sharply to his friend. "Chouji, snap outta it!"

The unusually crisp order from his best friend broke through Chouji's anger, and the large boy blinked a few times before smiling sheepishly at Ino.

"Sorry about that... I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked in genuine concern.

"Do I look hurt to you?" Ino asked with her typical superior attitude, brushing leaves and dirt from herself. "What I look is a mess! I'll have to wash my hair when I get home now..." she added sourly.

"Which you do everyday anyway," Shikamaru pointed out drily.

"Yes, but now I 'need' to," Ino explained in a voice that said she expected him to understand the difference.

Shikamaru just rolled his eyes and turned to Naruto. "So what brings you around?" he asked.

"You better not be here trying to spy on our super-secret training!" Ino said threateningly.

"What super-secret training, Ino?" Chouji asked curiously.

"Ino kicked him in the shin and growled, "Our super-secret training, remember?"

"Naruto, just tell Sakura that Ino's training really hard so we can get on with our day," Shikamaru requested, mostly to make Ino stop trying to bully the overly forthright Chouji.

"Got it," Naruto replied with a smirk. "Ino's doing secret training to catch up to Sakura-chan, so they can keep fighting over the Teme."

"Catch up!" Ino shouted in annoyance.

"Yeah, we just got back from our first C-rank mission... and our first A-rank too," Naruto explained slyly.

"How'd you pull that off?" Asuma asked in surprise.

So Naruto explained.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun is so cool!" Ino squealed in joy when Naruto finished.

"Asuma-sensei, I officially request personal exemption from any and all C-rank or higher missions assigned to team ten," Shikamaru declared, fully serious.

"Request denied," Asuma replied with a smile, before turning his attention back to Naruto. "But it seems like you and the team did well, considering the circumstances... and I guess Sakura is getting stronger..." he added pointedly towards Ino.

"Blah, blah, blah," Ino said irritably. "So she can spit mud, next time we spar, I'll just teach her to eat it too."

"And you!" She said, turning to Naruto aggressively, "How could you just stand there making kissy faces with some Kiri tramp after what she did to Sasuke-kun?"

"Haku-chan is not a tramp! And I didn't make kissy faces at anybody!" Naruto protested, getting into Ino's face as readily as she had gotten into his.

Ino took a step back and put her hand to her forehead theatrically, "What will Hinata...'s team think when they find out?" she asked, stressing the Hyuuga's name slightly.

"I already told 'em. They thought it was a good story, why?" Naruto replied in confusion at the unexpected change of subject.

Ino groaned at the denseness of boys in general, wishing she were allowed to talk about this most delicious of gossip subjects, but Hinata had been unusually bold in her warnings the day Ino found out.

"Never mind," she said instead. "Why did you come here anyway? Just looking to brag or something?"

"No way! I came cause I got these for you," Naruto answered excitedly, any concern for Ino's strange comments blown clear out of his mind.

When he held out the last three shiny leaves in his collection, the time they remained in his hand couldn't have been measured by the Yondaime.

"You got these for us!" Ino squealed happily. "Naruto, I could kiss you! If you weren't so... Naruto. But really, thank you!"

"Yeah, thanks a bunch Naruto," Chouji agreed eagerly.

"It's a nice offer, but a bit earlier than I planned," Shikamaru put in, referring to his well considered, if conservative, schedule for advancement.

"What Shikamaru meant to say," interrupted Ino, putting the lazy boy in an uncomfortable looking headlock. "Is 'thank you very much for the gift, which if I refuse my mother will learn of this fact and others that I would prefer she not know.' "

"What she said," Shikamaru agreed reluctantly, not even trying to free himself.

"So, you kids wanna use those now?" Asuma prompted, expecting an immediate affirmative from at least Ino.

The girl wasn't big on the physical parts of training, but she did believe she was the next best kunoichi in the making.

"Of course!" Ino agreed predictably. "Just as soon as Forehead's little spy goes away," she finished, shooing Naruto away.

"Huh? No fair! I wanna see the cool things your leaves do!" Naruto objected.

"Well, tough," Ino replied. "The chunin exams are coming up and I want every advantage I can get!"

"How do you know that?" Chouji asked, knowing Shikamaru would be curious too, but unwilling to take the effort to ask.

"Duh," Ino scoffed. "I'm the Gossip Princess of Konoha!"

"Princess? Why not queen?" Naruto asked.

"Her mom's the gossip queen," answered Chouji.

"Yeah, and she won't give me the title until I can prove I deserve it," Ino added bitterly.

"Ah," Naruto replied, though he really didn't understand.

"Troublesome isn't it," Shikamaru asked Naruto rhetorically.

"Ugh, I know!" Ino answered instead. "And the only way to dethrone her would be to learn something big, I mean huge, before she does..."

Ino turned a too sweet smile on Naruto, one that made the boy more uncomfortable than he could remember feeling in a long time, his punishment from Kakashi included.

"You know Naruto..." she began in a syrupy voice, "You could help me... And all you have to do is answer one little question..."

"W-what's that, Ino?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Why do so many villagers treat you like dirt?" Ino asked. "That's been bugging my mom for ever so long... and if I figure it out first, she'll just have to surrender!"

She looked at Naruto with a smile that was slightly vicious, and didn't notice it when Naruto went as white as a sheet.

"No... No way! You can never find out!" Naruto screamed, before vanishing in a burst of blue.

"I will learn your secret Naruto Uzumaki! You can't hide it forever!" Ino yelled after him, though she knew he was probably too far away to hear.

"Ino," Shikamaru said, his voice sharp enough to cut. "Let it go."

"But..." She protested.

"Let. It. Go." Shikamaru reiterated, his voice hard.

"Fine," Ino agreed reluctantly. Shikamaru didn't get motivated for much, but when he did, it was usually best to go along with him.

He tended to be patient and thorough when it came to settling accounts with those few who earned his anger.

"I've never seen Naruto scared like that before," Chouji said worriedly. "Do you think he's okay?"

Ino blinked in surprise and thought back, realizing that Chouji was right. No matter the circumstances, Naruto met every challenge with a smile and laugh. Tests he couldn't pass, spars he couldn't win, everything.

But somehow, this secret scared him, and Chouji caught it before her, Shikamaru too, she realized sourly.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, as long as you leave it be," Asuma said with a firm look.

Ino realized with a start that Asuma knew the secret, and just like all the people stone-walling her mother, refused to share it.

"Sometimes a secret should remain a secret," Asuma said seriously.

"I get it," Ino replied quietly. "I'll even apologize next time I see him..." She sighed in real remorse, looking at the expensive gift in her hand. "Some heel I turn out to be..."

"You didn't know," Asuma replied. "Just remember that sometimes secrets can be painful. Some to keep, and others to share. Naruto's is a bit of both I'm afraid."

"Yes, Asuma-sensei," Ino replied solemnly.

"Good. Now lets use those leaves. If Ino's right about the exam, we're gonna have to get you up to snuff pretty fast."

* * *

Naruto felt the familiar sensation of translocation about the time he realized he was falling.

He dropped heavily, face first onto his bed as Ralts pulled him from the distressing situation and into the safety of his own home.

He bounced a few times from the impact, and Ralts rolled from her carrier and over his shoulder, coming to a dizzy stop against his pillow.

Ralts shook the disorientation away and moved back to her partner, laying her head against his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his neck in an awkward hug.

Naruto's near arm came up to stroke the pokemon's back tenderly. "Thanks, Ralts-chan," he murmured.

"_You would do the same for me," _Ralts replied.

"What'll I do if they do find out?" Naruto asked after taking a few minutes to settle his thoughts. "I mean, they might think I really am that furry bastard..."

"_Then we will correct them,"_ Ralts said reassuringly.

"...But what if they're right?" Naruto wondered, mournfully. "What if I really am Kyuubi and just don't know it? What if... What if all Yondaime did was turn the monster into a baby... an' that's why I don't have any family?"

Ralts raised herself from Naruto, and lifted the boy's face so he had to look at her.

"_Naruto is Naruto," _She said, touching her horn to his forehead and looking him in the eyes. _"And the Kyuubi is the Kyuubi," _she stated, turning to look towards his abdomen, where the seal bound the legendary beast.

Naruto rolled onto his side, his hand going to his belly as he watched Ralts.

"You can feel it?" He asked, not sure if he was hoping to hear a yes or a no in response.

"_The Kyuubi... sleeps,"_ Ralts replied. _"He dreams sometimes..."_

"Dreams? What kinda stuff does a monster like that dream about?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"_Some are good dreams, some are bad, some are both at once..." _Ralts answered. _"In the good dreams, the Kyuubi remembers freedom in a time before his imprisonment. In the bad, he remembers a man who hurt him, bound him to the man's will. In the others... he dreams of what he wishes to do upon his escape."_

Naruto gulped at the idea of Kyuubi getting out, and wondered who might have the power to force something that strong to do anything.

"Do his dreams bother you any?" Naruto asked, wondering if there might be a way to stop them, if they were.

"_No more than a scary movie," _Ralts replied with some amusement, the few movies like that she'd seen with Naruto terrified him more than her. _"But the Kyuubi is always angry, and when you get angry as well... The emotions connect... and he stirs."_

"So if I get really mad, he might wake up..." Naruto realized.

"_Yes," _Ralts confirmed.

"Then all I gotta do to keep everybody safe is not get mad. Alright! Then that's what I'll do." Naruto decided, happy to have something at least a little proactive he could do to contain the bijuu.

"But... what if I fail?" He wondered, realizing how often he got annoyed on a day to day basis.

"_Then we will find another way," _Ralts said reassuringly, as she settled next to him again.

"Yeah, I guess we will," Naruto replied, shrugging out of the carrier and rolling onto his back.

Ralts snuggled closer, and he wrapped his arm around his partner comfortably.

* * *

Omake: Canon flashback.

Inoichi scrubbed his face with his palms as he stood silently before a simple wooden door.

The day that was just now ending had been hideously long, even without considering the way it began. Not that something like Kyuubi's unprovoked attack could be ignored.

The Hokage had ordered a general debriefing meeting for all surviving clan heads and all district civilian leads, but that had ended hours ago.

Shikaku had known immediately that the gag order Sarutobi had put into effect would be insufficient, and Inoichi had spent the rest of his day doing what he could to change that fact.

He was glad for the blanket amnesty the Hokage had offered in regards to such attempts, or he'd be seeing Ibiki from the wrong side, and soon.

Together with Shikaku, Chouza, and Ibiki, with help from Anbu records, he had established a list of the loosest lips and greatest gossips in Konoha, along with a report of those nearest Kyuubi at the time of it's sealing.

Since then, he had been searching the village for those people, with the help of T&I's assigned Anbu forces, and committing the greatest human rights violations since Orochimaru had fled Konoha.

He personally entered the subconscious of these people, searching their memories for early violations of the newly named 'Third's Law', and planting the worst memories he had. Memories of torture sessions, invasive and otherwise, memories of war crimes, and Orochimaru's own atrocities.

Memories so horrible, that to contemplate them turned his stomach.

Memories so terrible, that what he was doing made him question his own humanity.

But he did it.

To protect a newborn child, to protect his village, he forced those memories into otherwise innocent people.

People who's only crime was that they might become security risks.

And he linked those memories to a single thought: The truth of Naruto's condition.

It wouldn't keep the secret bound forever, but it would seal the most obvious leaks, before the more... permanent... law took over.

Any of these people who tried to share this secret would unleash the flood of memories, and be unable to restrain them once more. Even thinking of committing the crime would cause a sensation of terror in the effected people.

He was fully aware of the horror this form of subconscious manipulation could cause, but he was also aware of it's necessity. His list ended nearly twice as long as it had begun, due to those spreading the forbidden knowledge before the law's creation.

But there was only one name left, and this one couldn't have told anyone, and probably didn't even know the boy's sad fate yet.

But if she ever learned it, she couldn't be permitted to share it, and something like this... It was best to not risk.

Steeling his will for what was to come, Inoichi opened the door and entered the picturesque building.

"Welcome home," His wife called from the comfortably stuffed couch, where she lounged, feeding little Ino.

"Hey, Seiko" Inoichi replied to his wife. "I figured you'd be asleep."

"Ino-chan was fussy," She replied, sounding exasperated and happy all at once. "I think she missed her papa."

Using all his experience as a ninja and interrogator, he his his discomfort as he kissed his wife and tickled his nearly three week old daughter gently.

Seiko Yamanaka. His wife. Ino-chan's mother. The last name on his list.

Despite the horror that might be unleashed, he would commit this atrocity. If she discovered it, she might hate him, but so long as it stopped her from breaking the Third's Law, he could accept that. He would rather be a divorcee than a widower.

He would wait for her to fall asleep...

It would be easier on them both that way...

* * *

When I reached this point a few days ago, it seemed to me to be a good place to end for now, so that's what I did. May be a bit more of a filler chapter than some would prefer, but a few foundations were set for the long term. And some for the short term as well...

In regards to Naruto's bloodline: I honestly think this is pretty easily arguable as cannon, since a lot of what he does seems to be related to Physical manifestations of Chakra. His Henge, the Shadowclone, even the Rasengan, and it's multiple variations. It's not going to be an instant upgrade, since no one can teach him to utilize it, though I do have plans for some early development options. In the endgame, I'll probably look at it in a manner similar to Force effects in D&D, but that's both a lot of writing and a lot of research away.

To those curious, I determined the ryo approximations after the reviewer Renegadewarrior asked about the cost for a Shiny leaf crown (it's use in-game). I used the info from Narutopedia, assuming that the mission rewards are split in a 40/20/20/20 ratio in favor of the Jounin. (Since 5000 ryo each for a D rank minimum seems a bit much) If anyone is specifically curious, The genin got paid about 150,400 ryo for that mass mission, excluding whatever they might get for Zabuza's bounty.

For Tsunami's surname, I just used Kaiza's voice actor's last name, mostly because I didn't like the flow of Tsunami's Watanabe.

Next chapter should be back to the actiony bits, including the first stage of the exams. I'll probably go through and commit on the Konoha 12's elements by next update, whether it's included or not. So if you have input on that matter, please review or PM it within the next month or so.

Hope you enjoyed,

-Mhyrloc

Edit: Forgot to reply to a couple reviews, even set the notifier emails aside to remind me. *thwaps self*

MesoJoe: I'm actually reading through 'Better left Unsaid' now, with his Pokemon crossover and others to follow. Kenichi618's been in my 'to read' list since I first read Sealed Kunai, but it's a very long Bookmark folder, and I don't get to read as often as I'd like sometimes. I do thank you for the honest assessment, and will work on improving as I go, though thankfully there's not going to be more massive splitscene battles for a bit. So I can focus on mainly the Orochimaru fight in the forest, and the mostly 1 on 1 (ish) fights in the prelims and finals, which should give me a lot of practice in paired fighting.

Kitsunedragon: Thank you for the compliments. I'm leaning towards there being an actual relationship by the end, but I've no clue who it will be with, since I'm letting the characters develop as they choose mostly. Harem isn't very likely, since it's a tough thing to balance properly, but back in chapter one I wasn't sure about the relationships at all, so we'll see how it goes, hehe. There may be conflict with some Legendaries at points, but I'm not sure. I will say that not all are particularly friendly, and One is known as 'The Hand of Arceus' because it is the executor of most serious punishments. Ralts will evolve at some point during the exams, but I'll say no more on that score here. (and only that much because the exams are a fair amount of story time) Eevee's evolution is not decided, and Haunter could evolve whenever it chose at this point, but I admit, I never much liked Gengar, hehe. Might happen in the future, if Haunter needs to get stronger.

If I forgot to respond to someone about a particular question, feel free to poke me via PM. I do try to avoid anything too spoilery in the Author notes, so you're more likely to get complete answers that way. As always though, the chapters change a lot in the writing. (Ino's question was never in the plan for example, though I admit, I have a fun idea that will come from it.)


	10. Examining the competition

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

* * *

Naruto slapped his alarm into silence and disentangled himself from Ralts, deciding to let the lucky pokemon sleep a bit more.

No reason she should have to get up as early as him, she rarely needed much to be ready for the day. Even her hair never needed more than a few strokes with a brush, unlike his own perpetually messy mop.

While Naruto changed clothes and attempted to tame the unruly beast he called hair, Ralts snuggled deeper into the covers, using Confusion to tug them over herself.

He smiled softly at the sight, then headed to the kitchen. Nothing better than a nice hot breakfast to help a ninja and pokemon face the day.

Not that he could blame her laziness, he hadn't realized how much he missed that lumpy mattress until he'd slept in it after nearly two months of sleeping bags.

In fact, most of their first day of their two day vacation was spent asleep. A waste of time maybe, but it just felt so good to be home.

He met with Iruka-sensei once hunger had forced them to rejoin the waking world, and they'd discussed his assigned projects, as well as what he should do from there.

Naruto had done well in his identification exercise, though he was short by about a dozen. Iruka assured him that he'd managed better than he thought, given the fact that he'd been gone nearly twice as long as the teacher had expected.

His economic assignment however...

Well, Iruka wanted more than "Gato made things bad, he's dead. Things'll get better now."

They discussed the situation in more detail, and Naruto explained what he knew of the restoration efforts and the decision to finance the improvements with Sogen Handou, as well as the decision to court trade relations with Konoha.

Iruka pointed out the details that were important for inter-country relations, such as the restoration and production of Wave's sailing vessels, and those that weren't, such as Kakashi giving Tsunami a bunch of money to repay someone for a bar he'd somehow ruined.

The second morning, Naruto had met Iruka early in a part of town he'd rarely visited.

It was an old, but well maintained area, with imposing buildings of wood and stone, and ninja were an even greater presence than normal. Bored looking chunin stood near most doorways and there were almost twice as many visible Anbu.

Iruka had told him that they were in the primary financial district, where banks and most prominent trading firms were located.

Naruto practically had to be dragged into the monolithic structure that was Iruka's destination.

It was a giant building of gray stone, who's oversized doors were flanked by glowering statues of the Shodaime and a long haired man Naruto didn't recognize.

Passing between the two intimidating stone gazes, which seemed to be glaring half at each other and half at whomever bisected them, Naruto entered into the spacious interior of the 'First Bank of Konoha'.

The foyer was huge, with a white marble floor inlaid with a massive rendition of the spiral leaf in green stone.

Iruka led Naruto to a teller positioned under a plaque labeled 'New Accounts' and worked through the process of opening one for the genin.

The teller went through the process in the cool, impersonal manner of one who had repeated himself so often that it had become mostly mechanical.

While he worked, the teller projected a stream of bank related technobabble that Iruka later explained in more human terms.

The bank's finances were secured through the village's own prosperity, making it very nearly the safest investment possible. In exchange, only ninja or members of a clan comprised of more than forty percent ninja could open an account.

Most importantly, In case of the creator's death, the account was secured for their heirs or illegitimate descendants, through the use of a complex blood analysis system.

When Naruto donated a sample of his own blood, he'd been told that if a match was found, he would be informed, assuming the existing account wasn't marked as confidential, in which case the Hokage would be notified of the nameless account's details and the identification left to him.

In case of his own death, any children or clan members he left behind would have a period of twenty years to step up and claim whatever funds were deposited. After that period, anything in the bank's possession would default to the bank itself, with the exception of any ninja tools, scrolls, or such.

Iruka explained the bank's unusual policies and restrictions to be the result of the founders of Konoha setting the terms in stone, literally, during the village's creation.

Both Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had considerable interest in thinking for the long-term security of their clans, and so a heavily clan focused banking system was created to support those interests.

The security offered by this policy also attracted the attention of a number of other ninja clans, who liked the idea of investing in their own successes, and so Konoha had grown exponentially.

Iruka also explained some junk about interest and fees for maintaining the account if he stopped working as a ninja for non-involuntary reasons, but Naruto mostly ignored that stuff.

Afterall, why would he ever wanna stop being a ninja?

That boring task done, and most of his substantial paycheck deposited, the pair went shopping, and to Naruto's supreme pleasure, a new product he'd ordered from Touji's publicly displayed catalog had arrived: Self heating instant ramen.

It was one of a number of similar soups and hot drinks produced in the Land of Frost for convenient cold weather dining.

The insulated plastic containers used a combination of chemicals to heat the can's contents. While far from a good bowl of Ichiraku's finest, it was a bit above average compared to other cup ramen, for a considerably increased price.

Naruto had requested two cases, and happily left with three, since Touji had ordered a number of extras and other varieties to test their marketability.

The fact that the food cooked itself without either fire or chakra would be quite appealing to ninja running stealth operations, or who might find themselves in situations where even the normally simple comforts were unavailable.

Regardless of how well or poorly the other flavors sold, Naruto would happily continue to buy the ramen, if only to supplement the more nutritious dry rations.

The rest of the day, Naruto had spent catching up with his relatively few friends and acquaintances, including the Hughes family.

Maes had a truly staggering number of 'unique and exciting' photos of the barely three month old Elisa, and Naruto found himself forced to see far more than he'd prefer. Thankfully, Gracia came to his rescue after a couple hours.

After securing his escape, Naruto continued his relaxing day until finishing it off with a big dinner at Ichiraku's.

* * *

After a healthy, if imperfectly prepared, breakfast, Naruto and Ralts left for their first team meeting since their return to Konoha.

They had barely settled into their newest academic project, with Sasuke and Sakura doing their own training as usual, when Kakashi appeared in his usual fashion.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, "You wouldn't believe the day I've had. First my alarm clock didn't go off, so I overslept, but I really didn't want to be late today, so I decided to make a jutsu to take me back in time, but that took a lot longer than I expected..."

"But... You're on time..." Sakura replied.

"Then it worked!" Kakashi beamed. He'd been waiting a long time to use that one, Obito had only used it a couple times in all the time he'd known him.

He expected laughs, or signs of disbelief... what he got was tackled by the Uchiha.

"Teach me!" Sasuke demanded, grabbing his vest with quivering hands, and the hope and desperation almost hidden by the imperious voice he tried to maintain made Kakashi regret his poor choice of humor.

"Sasuke, it was a joke," Kakashi said quietly. "Time travel can't be done. Believe me, I've tried."

Sasuke's grip tightened, then released and the boy sat heavily.

Kakashi dropped his hand to the boy's shoulder and knelt next to him. "The math for determining one's location in space alone is formidable, that's why the Yondaime used fuuinjutsu to create a work-around for his Hiraishin. Calculating time as well? Simply impossible."

"Ralts can teleport. It can't be that hard... Can it?" Sasuke protested, though the fire had seemed to go out of him.

"Pokemon are bound by different rules than humans." Kakashi replied. "They know things instinctively that even our greatest minds struggle with. But even she cannot move through time with impunity."

"_Or at all,"_ Ralts agreed. _"There are some who can, but most are Legendaries."_

"Damnit!" Sasuke fumed, punching the ground in frustration. Charmeleon looked up from his place, curled up on the pile of stones and roared a column of flame to the sky in response.

Naruto and Sakura shared a concerned look, well aware of why Sasuke would want a jutsu like that, and Naruto decided to change the subject, hoping to distract his rival.

"Why are you on time anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Well... We have a lot of training to do, and we start our next mission today, so I figured we might as well make an early day out of it." Kakashi replied, happy for the opening.

"Fine, let's just get on with it," Sasuke muttered, if he couldn't solve his problem in one glorious moment of time travel, he'd at least get back to work doing it the normal way.

"Alright then, gather around for story time," Kakashi called, taking a seat on his training post.

"Just a sec, guys," Sakura said, jogging over to the post first.

The girl ran through her handsigns, and slapped the ground, where a thick line of clay six feet long and two feet high rose from the earth before the posts.

At Sakura's direction, a mildly interested Sasuke and Charmeleon heated the creation into a simple ceramic, leaving them a new bench to sit on.

"Cool, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered as the girl took her seat in the middle.

"Thanks," the girl replied. "I told Kurenai-sensei about my time in Wave, and she taught me how to channel it through my hands... It's a lot cleaner this way, and it seems to take less chakra too."

"And that's a good place for me to butt in," Interrupted Kakashi. "I wanted to talk with you all about jutsu theory anyway."

"You see, there are many ways to utilize even basic jutsu, and the only limitations on many, are your own imaginations and control. For example..." He hopped off the post and paced a few feet away.

With enough control, it is possible to channel a jutsu through almost any part of your body." He ran through the same seals as Sakura and stomped his foot, and a column of clay lifted him into the air a few feet.

"However, you cannot create a physically manifesting jutsu without a medium to begin the process, which is why I taught you the method I did. You won't always be able to find sand or dirt, but your body should always be at hand. The reason you spent less chakra here is because there's so much relatively damp earth available to manipulate."

"Had you tried the same method against Froslass, you'd have found it nearly as difficult as you did creating the elements within you, since while there was ample water, there was very little else to work with... until Charmeleon started smashing the bridge anyway."

"The various methods of channeling jutsu carries over to others as well... Gale Palm," Kakashi stated, hopping off the mound of earth and spinning into a sweep kick, which sent a line of wind blasting away from him in a half-circle, ripping dirt and grass from the ground and tossing it through the air in a maelstrom.

"Sasuke, toss a kunai into the air," he ordered once the mess had calmed down.

The Uchiha complied, and Kakashi whipped out a kunai of his own and knocked it from the sky. When the two collided, a line of blue electricity arced between them with a loud pop.

"Suji Jiinto," Kakashi said. "Imagine if you were holding Sasuke's kunai when that happened..."

"Would it kill you?" Probably not. Would it hurt like hell? Oh yes, it would. And that might give the user the chance they need to win." Kakashi explained.

'When I chose which jutsu to give you, there were two things I took into consideration, aside from your elements."

"First, as necessity, your chakra control and capacity limited my choice. And second, I chose techniques that were versatile."

"It was my hope that you would find ways to use the jutsu innovatively, and I am pleased to say that none of you failed me in that regard." Kakashi continued with a note of pride.

"Sakura, you turned a jutsu that most would regard as purely defensive into a way to hold off an opponent you couldn't even touch otherwise. Well done." Sakura's cheeks lit up at the praise, but she smiled proudly nonetheless.

"Naruto, the Gale Palm was designed to deflect and accelerate projectiles. Not only did you use it to it's intended purpose, you also turned your opponents into projectiles and repurposed it into a battering ram, to say nothing of your use lifting Lapras." Kakashi left it at that, seeing as the grin on Naruto's face looked like it was about to eat his ears.

"Sasuke, while you may not have used Suji Jiinto in an unusual way, you did manage to manipulate your opponent into letting you use it on her, despite her greater experience... Besides, you started this whole mess with your cold fireball." Kakashi finished with mock annoyance, and Sasuke smirked proudly at the assessment.

"Keep in mind that there are still many ways to build on your jutsu in the future. Don't forget the basics just because you learn something newer or more powerful. Many times, it's not the strongest ninja that wins, but the one who is most clever," Kakashi advised.

"That said, I want to move onto something new," he said, resuming his seat.

"Who can tell me the name and intent behind this seal?" Kakashi asked, twisting his wingers together.

"It's the rat seal, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replied promptly. "It's used to mentally control portions of a jutsu that can't be directed easily with hand signs."

"Precisely," Kakashi confirmed. "And this one?" He continued, moving onto the bird sign.

"Bird!" Naruto called out. "An' it controls wind!"

"Yes, and no," Kakashi replied. "It is the bird seal, but it's the Kumo version, so it acts the same as Konoha's Rat."

The genin stared in some surprise, for the seal was exactly identical to the bird sign they knew.

"And what about this one?" Kakashi asked again, bringing his palms together over his thumbs and spreading his fingers wide.

"Same as rat I bet," Sasuke remarked, already guessing the point of this lesson.

"Exactly.," Kakashi answered. "The Kiri octopus seal, used almost exclusively by their Seven Deadly Tides."

"And of course, there's the one we learned from Haku, who learned her seals from Zabuza," he said, demonstrating the one-handed seal.

"The point of this, is to demonstrate that the seals you know aren't all there is to know. If it were, the Uchiha would never have risen to prominence. Anyone with good eyes can watch a jutsu in use and mimic the handsigns, but the sharingan also helps read the intent behind the signs."

"However, there are ways to fool, or bypass, the sharingan's ability to copy jutsu, as I expect Sasuke has already learned, right?" Kakashi asked with an eye smile at the dark-haired boy.

The Uchiha glowered at Kakashi, which was confirmation enough.

"You see, Sasuke cannot copy Naruto's Kage Bushin jutsu, because Naruto doesn't use the true handseals," He flipped through the proper seals faster than Sasuke could activate his eyes, trusting his speed to allow him to get through the long chain faster than the genin could register, and a clone burst into being.

"How?" Sasuke demanded, his red eyes blazing belatedly. "How can the Dobe do it with just one sign?"

Kakashi sent a prompting look Naruto's way, and the boy scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Well, I was tryin' to do it the right way, but my fingers kept getting' all twisted up," he explained. "So I figured, this is kinda halfway to a bunch of signs," he said, holding up the vertical half of his cross sign. "An' this is almost halfway to a bunch more," he continued, completing the sign. "An' then I just went through the seals in my head until it worked."

"It can't be that easy..." Sasuke muttered in annoyance.

"Easy? It took me hours!" Naruto protested. "I had to try a hundred times, at least!"

"You're both right, of course," Kakashi confirmed. "It's not usually easy to use a jutsu that complex in a single sign. I expect it was equal parts luck and sheer determination that let Naruto pull it off. One thing about the impossible: Eventually, someone might be too stupid to realize it can't be done and do it anyway."

Of course, the Uzumaki bloodline might have had something to do with it, but that was a discussion for another day, after Kakashi had some idea of how to help the boy benefit from it.

"It's not unheard of for ninja, even those in your age group, to do similar." Kakashi continued, before Naruto could figure out if he'd been insulted or complimented. "For example, the Nara in your class would have known a jutsu nearly as complicated, and have mastered it to the point where he could use it with a single rat seal."

"You mean that shadow trap thing?" Naruto asked.

"Yep." Kakashi confirmed. "The Shadow Possession jutsu. The Nara clan are sticklers about protecting their clan techniques, and as a result, none of their ninja are allowed to use a clan technique outside of their personal dojo until they've mastered it to that level. Not that most mind, the Nara are all pretty lazy"

"By comparison, the Yamanaka use a method more similar to Naruto: Inventing signs to serve their purposes. And the Akimichi work to remove their seals entirely, to work them more smoothly into their taijutsu."

"Like this one?" Sakura asked, displaying the square seal she'd seen Ino use when the two had still been best friends, and she'd been Ino's training buddy.

"That would be their first, yes," Kakashi replied. "They have a number of others they use with more advanced techniques as well."

"The practical portion of this lesson is that, with enough dedication and practice, you can omit or even change the apparent function of your techniques," Kakashi continued. "For example, Sasuke could remove the inverting snake seal from his cold fireball, and so leave it identical to his normal one, up to the point of release. Taking it further, you could all work to remove the seals from your jutsu entirely, leaving you with techniques you could fire off with little to no warning."

"Very few ninja expend the effort to master many techniques to that level though, and obviously, more complicated jutsu take more work to do so, but the benefit for those who do is considerable."

"Sasuke, any weapon you touch could carry a crippling charge."

"Naruto, any punch, any kick, could be backed by the force of a wind storm."

Sakura, with enough chakra, control and knowledge, you could turn any terrain to your advantage, between steps if necessary."

He paced a short distance, and various terrain obstacles appeared from the earth around him. Caltrop-like spikes, small trenches, pillars, and mounds littered the ground behind him.

"And this is just a few options for a few jutsu. Always remember that your minds are your most fearsome weapons in ninja warfare. If you can out-think your opponent, you can beat your opponent."

"Now, I intend for you all to put this lesson to use immediately," Kakashi said, after letting his lecture sink in a bit. "Today's training will be another game of tag. I need a volunteer."

Naruto's hand shot up instantly.

"Good, Naruto, you sit out the first round." Kakashi said with an eye smile, while the boy fumed silently.

"Since it's you two, Sakura, you're 'It'. Sasuke, you will start in the center of the clearing while she tries to catch you. When I say go, you'll begin."

"As to the rules... The chaser may not use any jutsu at all. No shadowclones, no sparky fingers, no mud slinging, none. The person being chased may only use one: Kawarimi. No running at all. Your only movement will be through the use of the Kawarimi. Also, it's a five seal jutsu, but I don't want to see you using anything higher than four, for now."

"The purpose of this training is to teach you to use a relatively simple jutsu on short notice, when faced with a hostile pursuer, and I will enforce those two rules if necessary. I'm not sure how yet, but let's not test my imagination for unpleasantness, hmm?" Kakashi warned in an inappropriately cheerful voice.

"Any questions?" He asked after a long beat.

Sakura raised her hand slowly, and he nodded at her to proceed.

"Um... When you say 'catch'..." she began, a fangirlish gleam flickering in her eyes once more.

"Hmm... Let's make it interesting." Kakashi said slyly. "'Catch' means grab him. I'll allow anything 'G' rated. So if you can, feel free to glomp him into the dirt."

Sakura and Sasuke's faces morphed into opposite expressions of joy and dismay.

"But bear in mind that this goes for everyone, and remember who's chasing you on your turn..." Kakashi warned her, pointing towards the grinning Naruto.

"And of course, Sasuke will be chasing Naruto, so I doubt any glomping will occur then... or at least I hope not..." Kakashi mused.

"In fact, that's a good punishment if you break the rules. You have to stand there and take one 'catch' from the chaser... and if you ask nicely... I might even let you go a little farther..." He illustrated that thought be revealing the two page spread in his book, the artfully illustrated wedding kiss at the story's climax.

Not that he would show them the epilogue... Brats weren't old enough to appreciate a proper honeymoon yet.

He snickered at how easily he had motivated the genin.

Sakura and Sasuke would rather die than be caught, and Naruto and Sakura would be just as eager to get their hands on their targets.

Of course, the Sasuke chasing Naruto round might be a bit dull for the first few tries, but eventually good old fashioned pain and rivalry would change that.

* * *

The three pokemon and resting genin sat on, or near, Sakura's bench, cheering their favorite in each match while Kakashi oversaw the training exercise from his own post. His book's absence spoke to how seriously he'd decided to take the training.

Kakashi kept each match going until he felt Sakura and Sasuke had reached their chakra limits, and called Naruto's time at evasion in a timeframe close to Sasuke's. If he let the boy go to his limits they'd be stuck here all day.

Sasuke had been caught easily the first few times, as he stumbled through the one-handed seals he'd copied from Haku. Obviously his sharingan-copied knowledge was no match for half a decade of habitual practice with the Konoha signs. Kakashi reminded him that the goal was to remove signs entirely, and Sasuke reverted to the more familiar set. His annoyed scowl all but promised that he would fix his problem quickly, despite the weeks of work spent so far trying to do the same.

Kakashi was somewhat pleased that Sasuke had made that error. It was best that he learn the limits of his bloodline early, potentially preventing the ingrained habits that Zabuza had hoped to exploit in himself.

Sakura didn't catch him again until he was severely low on chakra, and Kakashi let him push himself until he failed twice in a row before calling the round to an end.

Sakura, through greater control or determination, avoided Naruto's grasp until she was too low on chakra, and Kakashi let her fail twice too before moving on.

Naruto got caught about as often as Sasuke, mostly because he forgot the rules. Though when he remembered them, he proved to be surprisingly capable, probably as a result of practicing with the much more complicated shadowclone jutsu.

In fact, not long before his round ended, he kicked the bar up for the next one by skipping the fourth sign as well, performing a perfect three seal Kawarimi right in front of Sasuke's fist.

Sasuke cracked the log with his fist, then launched it away with a savage kick when he realized the Dobe had taken the lead.

The match continued, but Kakashi called it after Naruto failed an attempted two seal Kawarimi, which might have been a bit mean to Naruto, but it left the two a bit balanced in progress and would push Sasuke on his turn, which would invariably push Naruto on his next one.

The team rested for an hour, a true rest enforced by Kakashi, who provided restorative rich rations, which were recommended by Gai long ago, for marathon training sessions. Kakashi had intended to ignore the suggestion at the time, but the information had come in handy eventually.

During the break, he talked a bit more, discussing jutsu theory, and telling the team some stories of his own ninja career, particularly times where jutsu had been used in unusual ways, often to considerable effect.

By the end of the second cycle, all three had managed to do the jutsu with only two seals, and Sasuke and Naruto had both managed to whittle it down to a single rat seal on a couple attempts. Sakura hadn't attempted it herself, but Kakashi was confident she would pull it off on her third.

After another break, he ordered them to all move on to single seals for their last match, promising that they would work on something more interesting the following day if they could all go without being caught until he called time.

The hardest step was always removing seals entirely, and while he did intend to get them there before the exams, going from five seals to zero in one day was a bit more than could be expected, even for a jutsu they'd been using since learning it in the academy.

Besides, if they were already this good, another day of this exercise wouldn't help much, and it would be horrible risking a fangirl relapse in Sakura, or worse a sudden onset of fanboyism in Naruto... Probably a good idea to limit the number of times Sasuke could hit Naruto too...

They nearly met his challenge, but since there was outside interference in the last round, he decided to shift to the more advanced training anyway,

* * *

Sasuke charged his target, fist cocked back and ready to fly.

He was aware of two things: First that if he did manage to catch the Dobe, that they would lose the challenge, in which case the next day's training would probably be a repeat of today's, and second: His desire to wipe that moronic smile off Naruto's face made the first fact seem rather unimportant.

By this point, his knuckles were torn and bleeding from the number of logs he's pummeled, but both his teammates had hugged more trees than a herd of cats in the Inuzuka compound, so at least his suffering wasn't as humiliating as theirs.

He had to admit though, the look on Sakura's face the first few times had been priceless. He wished this idea had occurred to him back in the academy.

He could have gotten training and a show, with the help of those useless fangirls. Some might have even gotten good enough to be interesting, with proper motivation.

Most would probably have just kept the logs though...

Just as he was swinging into the punch, he noticed Naruto's tell, a slight unfocusing of his eyes as his thoughts turned inward, to run through the signs needed in his mind, followed by a widening as his eyes flickered upward, above Sasuke's head.

Just before Sasuke creamed him.

Naruto flew heels over head and landed in a tangled heap, where Ralts appeared in a flash of blue and looked him over worriedly.

Sasuke straightened from his follow-through, and smirked a moment before grimacing as he remembered the stakes in this competition.

An instant before he'd have been struck, Sasuke sensed something coming at him fast, and he fell to the ground, spinning to a knee and drawing a kunai defensively, as a strange red and white bird passed over him, so low it would have clipped his hair.

The unusual pokemon backwinged lightly and landed next to Naruto, looking him over and chirping a delighted 'Deli!'

"Who're you?" The blond asked groggily, rubbing his jaw and looking at the creature that had distracted him.

"Delibird!" it replied proudly, digging through it's strangely shaped tail and pulling out a glowing white orb and offering it over.

Naruto accepted the object, which pulsed brightly and popped with a cloud of chakra, revealing a pristine envelope with his name on it, attached to the top of a small box.

"Naruto," Kakashi called sternly, before the boy got too involved. "Why didn't you dodge Sasuke?"

"Well, I saw the bird, an' I kinda got distracted, since it was comin' right for us..." he replied sheepishly.

"If this had been a real fight, you might be dead right now," Kakashi said gravely. "If the delibird had been a threat, you would certainly be so. It's always good to pay attention to your surroundings, but never forget the opponent in front of you."

"Given the odd circumstances, and the team's overall success, I'll call this part f your training complete. We'll continue with a more advanced version tomorrow." Kakashi informed them.

"In the mean time, we'll break for lunch. We'll reconvene at the Hokage's tower in an hour for today's mission." Orders given, Kakashi slipped away in a swirl of leaves.

"You guys wanna go get some lunch or somethin',?" Naruto asked, looking to his teammates hopefully. It didn't happen often, but he actually did enjoy hanging out with them.

"No thanks, I'm gonna go home and get cleaned up. I'm dirtier than Ino-pig in a mud bath right now," Sakura replied apologetically. Eevee thrilled her own goodbye and took off in a loping run, with Sakura chasing after her.

"Alright, Sakura-chan. How bout you Teme?" Naruto persisted.

Sasuke looked to the boy in confusion, he'd just spent a fair chunk of the morning trying to beat the Dobe's face in, and he just let it go that easily? What a weirdo.

"I'm... gonna go do some stuff," Sasuke replied, leaving without another glance at his team

Charmeleon rose from where he had lounged watching them train, and trailed after his partner, tail-flame waving idle patterns in the air behind him.

_'You should see what Delibird brought you,"_ Ralts suggested when it looked like Naruto wasn't sure what to do now that his teammates had left.

"Oh, right! Sorry 'bout that lil' guy," he said to the delibird who had delivered it.

Naruto tore open the envelope carefully, and pulled out a letter in Haku's handwriting.

_'Dear Naruto,_

_I am sorry it took so long for me to write, but things have been quite busy since my arrival in the Land of Snow._

_It seems that a number of years ago, the Daimyo of this country was assassinated by his brother, and the princess went missing in the confusion surrounding the event._

_With the true heir absent, and no witnesses able to report his treachery (and the 'accidental' deaths of any who try), Dotou claimed control under the veil of regency._

_On the same night as Dotou's attack, a number of his co-conspirators assassinated the leader of their ninja village of Fubukigakure, and then proceeded to murder as many of the village's ninja as they could._

_I now sit within the village of Hanagoori, along with those few ninja and samurai who survived the attacks, as well as the traitor ninja's continued hunts._

_The events in this land seem much more complicated than those in Wave, for while there are those willing to fight for their freedom, they hold strongly to the hope that their missing princess will be found._

_It is my fear that if the princess is dead, or cannot be located, that the spirits of those few will be crushed._

_To further complicate matters, Dotou is far more devious than Gato was, and much of the country is unaware of the relatively minor injustices he has taken to secure his reign, or the inevitable escalation that will follow._

_As such, it seems that this war is one which we must fight alone, at least until princess Kazehana is returned._

_I am sorry for burdening you with my troubles, but it seems so much more than I can bear some days. _

_Thankfully, despite the weighty matters I now face, at least I know I am working towards a noble goal._

_Moving onto happier subjects, how are things in Konoha? Certainly warmer than up here I would expect._

_How is little Ralts-chan, and the rest of your team? And of course, how are you doing?_

_Did things go well with the rebuilding efforts in Wave? I have heard tales even this far away, but it is hard to tell truth from exaggeration sometimes._

_Despite my complaints, it bears mentioning that things are going as well here as can be expected, and I am happy with how my life is proceeding._

_The people treat me well, many act as if I am family already, possibly because of my bloodline. Though it is strange to see something that caused me such pain as a child treated as a blessing in another part of the world._

_It does make me a little sad at times, but it's not unexpected._

_I do hope to hear from you soon,_

_Haku_

_P.S. The package contains a few treats called poffins, as well as a recipe you can use to make more. The Delibird that delivered them has agreed to wait for you, if you wish to send a reply, so long as you don't take more than a day or two. The poffins are his payment for doing so._

_If you ever need to send me a letter, just bake up a batch. If you make them properly, any delibird in the area should come to you. They can't resist poffins, and can find almost anyone._

Naruto read through the letter a second time, committing his first non-bill mail to memory as best he could. Before turning to the box and revealing it's contents.

Inside were a half dozen light blue cookie-muffin things. He picked one up and sniffed it, surprised at how fruity it seemed... He decided to test out the recipe soon, just in case Ralts-chan liked them, she was watching it rather intently, but these were promised already.

"Here ya go buddy, you earned 'em," he said, tossing the poffin to Delibird, who caught it with a hop and a snap of it's beak.

He pushed the box towards the bird and rose to his feet, packing the letter and recipe safely in Ralts' carrier with his bookwork and shrugging into it.

"I'm gonna go get some lunch, if you wanna come along, I'll buy ya some too," he promised the bird. "I only got an hour, so I might not be able to write Haku-chan a reply until tonight. That okay?"

"Deliba!" The delibird agreed readily, nodding it's head for emphasis. It turned the box of treats back into one of those weird balls of light and stuffed it back into it's tail.

That done, it hopped up with a few flaps of it's wings and settled onto Naruto's shoulder, looking at him and Ralts expectantly.

"Ralts-chan, lets just take the fast route, Ichiraku's or bust!" Ralts complied immediately, and upon arrival Naruto called out "Three for lunch Ayame-neechan!"

The three ate their fills, and Delibird even shared a poffin with Ralts as desert.

* * *

Before running to the tower to wait for his team, Naruto and Ralts took Delibird to Iruka-sensei to see if he would be willing to take care of the pokemon until Naruto met up with him after his mission.

Needless to say, a genin teleporting into an academy class in session caused a bit of an uproar, but thanks to his own history in pranking, he was able to shift the class into a spontaneous lesson on pokemon, with Ralts demonstrating a few of her abilities, and Delibird showing off a good few of it's own and remaining for the rest of the class.

Meeting at the tower, Kakashi revealed the mission scroll he'd received a few days before.

"For the next week, we will be helping Hikari Suzuhara redecorate her store. I'm not entirely certain what that entails as yet, but she specifically requested team seven, so I expect you all to do well," he said once the team had gathered.

"Some of you may know where the Suzuhara shop is, but if not, I'll show you. We'll be meeting there every day after lunch until we're finished."

That said, he leapt to the roof of a nearby building with a single lazy hop, turning to look back at his genin once he landed.

Sasuke and Naruto shared a challenging glance and took off after him, Naruto in a series of leaps, and Sasuke using a nearby signpost to swing himself up, while Charmeleon simply used Flame Charge to rocket himself to the rooftops.

The two boys arrived simultaneously, each looking to the other confident in their own superiority, when Sakura arrived a second later, having chosen to just run up the side of the building with Eevee in her arms.

As soon as they were all together once more, Kakashi took off across the rooftops at what he felt would be a comfortable pace for the genin, though apparently comfortable wasn't enough for some of the team.

"Race ya there, Teme!" Naruto shouted, taking off across the rooftops in a near sprint. In her carrier, Ralts blew a raspberry at Charmeleon as he did.

Sasuke and Charmeleon roared similarly fiery responses, though only one actually ignited the air before him, and took off after them. Thankfully, the buildings were spaced rather close together in the crowded village, and even Charmeleon could leap from one to another with relative ease.

"Hey! Do you two even know where the place is?" Sakura called after them, not that either boy bothered to stop and answer.

"I know Naruto does," Kakashi assured her, "but I'm not sure about Sasuke..."

"Then how can Sasuke-kun win if he doesn't know where they're going? That's practically cheating!" Sakura grumbled, matching the pace Kakashi set easily enough that he pushed a bit harder, just to see what she could do.

"Nah, cheating would be if Ralts teleported them," Kakashi disagreed with an eye-smile. "This is just boys having fun."

Sakura just rolled her eyes and took off after her team.

They arrived to find Sasuke and Naruto arguing in front of the store about the fairness of the race, which Kakashi diffused by simply declaring the competition void.

Naruto plastered a pout on his face, and Sasuke smirked victoriously.

An unknown, angry voice called out, just as the door burst open.

"What's with all the racket!"

The genin looked to the doorway... and up into one of the ugliest faces any of the ninja had ever seen.

The gray skinned pokemon glowered down at the formerly noisy genin and cracked it's knuckles, all twenty of them spread across four hands, any one of which looked big enough to encompass their heads, with arms thick enough to lift them easily if such a grapple was attempted.

"Move it you big lug!" the voice called, this time accompanied by the sound of flesh striking stone.

"Chaaamp," drawled the pokemon in it's deep voice, shifting slightly to let a rather petite woman slip through. Despite the motion, Machamp's gaze never left the two boys.

The woman shook her hand a few times, muttering about overprotective muscle-heads, before turning to the team.

The second she realized who they were, her face lit up, and a somewhat disconcerting grin managed to work it's way onto her face.

"Champ, go tell Touji the team is here, and get to work clearing the walls. No more time to procrastinate, now chop chop!" She ordered briskly, waving one hand at Touji's pokemon in a shooing manner.

He made an agreeable sound and turned to go, walking away with heavy steps.

"As for the rest of you, we're going to be painting this place up so it looks nice," she explained. "I'm tired of our store looking like a boring old warehouse, so I want it spruced up."

"And why exactly will this take a week?" Sasuke asked. A couple layers of paint, some cleaning, they should be able to wipe it out in a few days tops.

"Because it took a lot of convincing to get Touji-kun to agree to redecorate, and I want it to be perfect when it's finished," Hikari admitted. "Which is why I requested Mister Magic Paint here to do the job," she finished, grabbing Naruto in a one-armed hug.

"We're going to try everything we can think of until it turns out right!" She declared excitedly.

Sasuke groaned and Sakura facepalmed, while Naruto just looked stunned that someone would have looked at his masterpiece and find a way to make a mission out of it.

"Well then, since it's pretty essential for the mission, Naruto, you have full permission to abuse the Kage Bushin as much as you like," Kakashi said with some amusement.

"Thank Arceus," Sakura replied, and even Sasuke nodded his agreement to that sentiment. The store wasn't huge, but it was a modified warehouse, so it was big enough that multiple paintings would be time consuming.

"But don't think you're getting out of work," Hikari warned. "I've got big plans for this place, and we're going to do it right, and today, we're going to clean until it shines!"

She dragged the group through the store and into the storage area that was walled off from the rest of the building, where a large assortment of cleaning supplies sat new and unopened.

"Hokage-sama warned me that the shadowclones can copy supplies, but that they might not be up to the heavy stuff, so I made sure to have plenty," she explained, setting the team to carting most of what they would need outside.

"First order of the day: I want the walls and roof scrubbed clean. Leaves, dirt, bugs, I want all of it gone. I want this place looking better than the day it was finished. Once that's done, we'll get started with the primer."

Leaving the team with their orders, she strode back inside once more, where they could faintly hear her complaining at her husband for putting of the preparation work inside.

"This is gonna suck, isn't it Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto complained.

"Now now, I'm sure if you work hard, she'll stay happy and not bother you too much," Kakashi replied. "But just to be safe, you better get started..."

Naruto grabbed a broom and walked up the wall to the roof, followed closely by his teammates, Kakashi watched them until he spotted the telltale smoke that announced the arrival of a veritable army of helpers.

On the ground, Eevee and Charmeleon looked for things to do to help. Eevee did some sweeping and dusting with her bushy tail, but Charmeleon's options were pretty limited, at least until it became time to incinerate piles of refuse.

With generous assistance from Naruto's clones, the team managed to finish the first two phases of Hikari's grand plan. The exterior and interior were both spotlessly clean, and primed in eggshell white.

Naruto had also promised to stop by on his way to training the following day to set more clones to work with a second layer of primer, so it would hopefully dry before they arrived for the day's mission work.

Hikari immediately declared him to be her favorite customer ever.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto arrived at the training ground half an hour early.

He'd stopped off at the Suzahara shop and set his clones to work, and then continued on to his team's meeting place to find a strange sight: a six foot high wall of rough stone, completely encircling the clearing they trained in.

And from within this shell of stone emanated a thumping like the heartbeat of some great beast.

Brave though he might be, Naruto decided he might not wanna pick a fight with something that could turn a ninja training ground into it's nest unopposed...

At least not without making sure it wasn't some kinda huge monster first.

"Whaddaya think's in there?" He asked his partner in a whisper as he tried pressing his ear against the wall.

Ralts mimicked Naruto's posture and focused her senses into the hidden area.

Within she could feel a single being, though it's emotions were nearly as airy as fog. Boredom was foremost, underscored by mild anticipation. Beneath that was idle interest paired with fond familiarity, with a hint of amused attraction...

She knew she'd felt this person before, but before she could remember where, the answer came to them both in the form of a perverted giggle.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked in puzzlement. On time was strange enough, but actually arriving early?

_'He has... an unusual mind,'_ Ralts replied, making a mental note to remember the jounin's oddly vague emotional presence. She had never spent much time looking into his psychic presence, largely because Naruto was worried he might always have perverse thoughts running though his mind.

Mystery solved, Naruto hopped up onto the wall and looked in on the fruits of Kakashi's labor.

While the outside wasn't anything special, the inside was actually quite impressive. The inner walls were so smooth and polished that they gleamed in the morning light, and from one side to the other, the ground was just as perfect, level and glossy brown stone, except for a circle of tan about five feet across in the center.

Within that circle stood Kakashi, reading his favorite book and bouncing a fist-sized rubber ball with his free hand.

He looked up when Naruto sprang to the top of his creation, but held his tongue while the boy looked it over. One nearly unique aspect of Naruto was that he was astonishingly easy to read when he was impressed, and it was oddly satisfying to have his efforts be appreciated openly.

His mother was the same way whenever she witnessed a new jutsu, one of his fondest memories was the day he showed her the chidori. The woman had practically been beside herself with excitement.

"First one here, hmm?" Kakashi asked when Naruto had finished his appraisal.

Naruto looked down at him with a grin, and Ralts waved cheerfully.

"Yeah, Iruka-sensei's got me learning about other village's fighting styles an' jutsu an' stuff, so I figured I'd come out early, so I could do a bit more studying, just in case you got here on time again," Naruto explained.

"Didn't expect me early, did you?" Kakashi replied with an obvious smirk.

"You can say that again," Naruto chuckled. "You wanna get started on somethin' now, or wait for Sakura-chan an' the Teme?"

Kakashi thought for a bit... Would now be a good time to talk to Naruto about his heritage? He still hadn't come up with a very good plan to help Naruto learn to use the bloodline.

"I think you should focus on what Iruka wants you to learn for now, you never know when it might come in handy," Kakashi advised.

"Gotcha, Kakashi-sensei. I'll have it all down before you know it, the chunin exam's gonna be a piece of cake! Dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Chunin exam?" Kakashi prompted, he was certain he hadn't mentioned it to the team yet...

"Ino said it's coming up soon, I kinda figured that's why you're wantin' us to work so hard," Naruto explained.

"Ah... well, you're right there, but I promised the Hokage I wouldn't tell anyone, so keep it a secret, okay?" Kakashi requested.

"You got it Kakashi-sensei," Naruto agreed. He didn't feel right keeping it a secret from his teammates, but a promise to the Hokage was important.

"Alright then. What do you say we both get on with our reading, I'm sure the others will get here soon enough anyway," Kakashi replied.

Naruto plopped down on top of the wall, which Kakashi had made thick enough for the pokemon to comfortably sit on, since they would be spectators again, at least until Absol returned from his scouting trip and took them for training.

Kakashi himself was confident that the pokemon were ahead of the curve for now, which was why he'd chosen to focus on the genin for this training... That and he knew Absol would handle things far more efficiently on their side anyway.

Sasuke and Sakura arrived almost simultaneously, though it was obvious from the direction of his arrival that the Uchiha had taken a circuitous route to avoid walking with his beaming fan.

Sasuke jumped from the trees he'd traveled upon to the wall, as Charmeleon raced raptor-like across the ground and joined him with a soaring leap.

Sakura, with Eevee in her arms, jogged to the wall and hopped onto it with a level of carelessness that she wouldn't have even been able to pretend to a few months before.

Kakashi closed his book with a snap and returned it to it's pocketed safety, before turning his attention to the gathered genin.

Unlike Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura looked upon his arena not as an amazing piece of work, but more practically. Sakura saw it as an inspiring and advanced example of the mud wall,and Sasuke simply wanted to know what use it might be in helping him get stronger.

Sometimes it was a pain being able to read people as easily as he could.

"Now that we're all here," Kakashi began, getting the group's attention easily. "It's time for today's training."

"I want the humans to join me in here," he said, gesturing to his creation. "Today's lesson is a continuation of yesterday's, but it will be a bit more weighted towards real combat conditions."

"What I mean by that, is that today you can dodge both physically or with single seal kawarimi, but no other jutsu are permitted. Additionally, you won't be chasing each other, sorry to dash any hopes you might have had."

"Then who's chasing today?" Naruto asked.

"Nobody," Kakashi replied. "Yesterday's training was intended more to help you learn to kawarimi faster in general, today you'll be training to do so while in a more severe situation."

"What kind of situation?" Sasuke asked, interested in the idea of real, serious training.

"Your opponent is me," Kakashi replied gravely, earning nervous looks from the genin. "I will not be trying to catch you. In fact, I won't even leave this circle, but you will have to work hard to avoid my attacks."

"What kinds of attacks?" Sakura asked, eying the wide stretch between Kakashi and the wall critically. If he was going to be throwing jutsu at them, they would have to be on their toes...

"This kind," Kakashi replied, launching the ball he held straight at her face.

Sakura fell to her back with a shriek, and rolled to her knees, looking frantically between Kakashi and the still flying ball, ready to dodge again at a moment's notice.

The ball hit the wall spinning, causing it to kick off at an odd angle, flying at Naruto, who dodged it too.

The ball bounced off two more walls as the genin watched, moving to avoid it as needed, until it was recaptured by Kakashi.

"If you can dodge a ball, you can dodge a kunai," the jounin said cheerfully.

"We will continue this exercise until I think you're proficient enough in both evasion and basic spacial awareness to dance through a warzone untouched."

"Don't expect that to be any time soon though. When I think it's too easy for you, I will increase the difficulty," he punctuated that warning by pulling two more rubber balls from his pouch.

"Like yesterday, we will continue until I call for a break. Unlike yesterday however, I will not be generous., you should expect to go for at least an hour at a time. This is as much to test your physical endurance as your chakra."

"Are there any questions before we begin?" He prompted, without response.

"Very well then... Evasion training round one... Begin!" Kakashi called out, sweeping his arms in a grand arc and sending all three balls zipping through the air.

True to his word, Kakashi worked the genin hard, sending attacks at them from nearly impossible angles.

Each day he added at least one ball to the mix, until the genin couldn't take a step without having to avoid one or more.

Eventually, he started adding true jutsu to the mix, a demonstration of his faith in their abilities, though he never did go all out against them. When they reached that point, he gave them permission to counter his attacks by catching the balls and using their own jutsu, albeit with limits. In exchange, he left the circle, though he still attacked mostly at range.

Once he was satisfied with that level of survival training, he halved the time each day that they spent on it, and instead set about teaching them to bring the hurt as effectively as they could avoid it. And in their off time, he had set them to learning the water walking exercise.

A few days into their evasion training, Absol returned to collect the young pokemon.

The quartet left via teleportation, as Absol directed Ralts' destination.

They returned hours later, exhausted and occasionally a bit beat up, but Ralts had wonderful stories of battles against a variety of pokemon, under Absol's supervision, and the trio grew visibly stronger from the effort.

* * *

One day, not long after the team had begun their mission efforts for the day, repainting the shop according to yet another of Hikari's chosen designs, Kakashi flagged down a member of the orange-clad horde of Narutos painting on ladders.

"Somethin' ya need, Kakashi-sensei?" the boy asked.

"I need to speak with the real Naruto, are you him?" Kakashi replied. It was downright disturbing how alive shadowclones seemed at times.

"Nah, but if ya gimme a minute, I can find him for ya," the clone offered.

"Hmm... I think I have a faster way..." Kakashi replied with a sly look.

He put his own face very close to the now nervous clone's and spoke in a forceful tone. "Naruto, if you aren't here in ten seconds, I will forbid you from eating ramen for a month."

That said, he grabbed the stunned clone by the back of his jumpsuit and yanked him from his ladder, causing it to crash to the ground and dispel.

Kakashi's count had only reached six when the boy in question fell to the ground, crouching before him.

"Am I on time?" He asked hurriedly.

"For what?" Kakashi asked in apparent confusion.

"You said I only had ten seconds to get here!" Naruto repeated loudly.

"I don't remember telling you that..." Kakashi mused strolling away idly. "In fact, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've talked to you since lunch..."

"But I remember it! Naruto protesting, chasing after him. "You said you wanted to talk to me, but I wasn't me, and then you said I had to get here or I wouldn't be allowed to eat ramen for a month! Then you pulled me off the ladder..."

Kakashi just smiled as the boy scratched his head, confused by his own explanation.

"Want a hint?" The jounin asked after a minute or two, during which Naruto tried to puzzle out how he could remember being outside talking with Kakashi, when he had just run from the storage locker where Hikari kept the real paint cans.

"What kinda hint?" Naruto asked. Ralts just narrowed her eyes at the familiar feeling of mischief in the making she felt emanating from the jounin.

"The kind that everyone who knows the shadowclone jutsu is supposed to know," Kakashi replied.

"What's that?" Naruto prompted when Kakashi didn't seem like he was going to continue. Try as he might, he couldn't reconcile the disparate memories.

"Anything your shadow clone learns," he said, pointing out a group of them still painting, "you learn." He finished, pointing at Naruto himself.

Naruto's jaw hit the floor at that revelation.

"You didn't think you were some kind of bridge building and store painting prodigy, did you? You just crammed a few months worth of effort into days or weeks." Kakashi explained.

"That is so cool!" Naruto exclaimed. "I could learn everything! I could be the best ninja ever! Tomorrow! Dattebayo!"

"Not so fast," Kakashi objected. "It is a powerful advantage, but you can't risk using it too much. Remember when you were working on the bridge? Pushing it too far can cost you big time."

"But I wasn't using chakra to help with the bridge," Naruto protested.

"Not at all?" Kakashi asked. "Not even a little bit to increase your strength or speed a little bit?"

"Well... maybe a little..." Naruto admitted sheepishly.

"A little here, a little there, it all adds up when spread over a lot of clones. Especially since you were also training and getting very little rest," Kakashi pointed out.

Naruto nodded his understanding, and Kakashi continued.

"Whenever you create a shadow clone, you split your chakra with it, so one leaves you with half your capacity. If you make ninety nine, you each are left with only one percent of your original amount. For most people, that would make them useless, but of course, you have a unique advantage," Kakashi pointed out.

Naruto frowned and patted his stomach.

"One thing to keep in mind is that when the shadow clone disperses, any chakra it didn't use to maintain itself, or use jutsu, returns to you, along with it's memories."

"All ninja generate chakra as time passes, and over the course of a day, most will regain about a third of their capacity, though they can increase that amount significantly with rest. If a ninja exceeds that limit, they crash, and if they push it too far it can actually kill them."

"Of course, your limits are much higher than most people, thanks to your advantage, but they do exist, as you found in Wave," Kakashi warned Naruto.

"The more clones you have using your chakra to train, the easier it will be for you to reach that limit, so I want you to take it easy with any clone training you do. Start with a couple and see how it goes, but lay off if you feel tired after dismissing them, okay?"

"You got it Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto agreed eagerly. Sure it wasn't an ultimate training option like he had thought at first, but it was bound to do a lot of good, especially if the clones weren't doing a lot of hard stuff...

The pair continued walking for quite a while before Naruto left his planning tunnel vision long enough to realize it.

"Hey, where we goin', Kakashi-sensei?" He asked, once he finally noticed.

"To visit a friend of mine," Kakashi replied. "There's something else I wanted to test, but I don't think she would appreciate it if I brought the whole team along."

"Oh..." Naruto replied, seeing that his teacher didn't want to elaborate further.

They continued on, following a meandering route through the streets of Konoha, until they came to a plain looking apartment building.

In this case, plain was a gross understatement. The building was so bland that just looking at it made Naruto want to yawn... Or splatter it with so much paint it would make Hikari jealous.

Kakashi led the way inside, to an even more dull lobby, and up a nearby staircase to the fourth floor.

The entire way, Naruto had the strangest feeling that he was being watched, despite the fact that the only living thing he'd seen in the entire building was a potted plant that looked as gray and lifeless as everything else in the odd building.

Kakashi knocked on an unnumbered door and waited patiently, until it opened to reveal a purple haired woman in what looked to be comfortable 'lazy day' clothes.

"Hiya," Kakashi said cheerfully. "Yugao, meet Naruto. Naruto, this is Yugao."

She nodded to the boy, who waved back a bit hesitantly, before turning narrowed eyes back to her former captain.

"Kakashi, what a surprise." She said, though her tone held little pleasure.

Ralts huddled deeper into her carrier, trying to keep away from the unpleasant emotions coming off the woman, despite their focus on the jounin.

"Well, aren't you going to invite us in?" Kakashi prompted, ignoring the woman's ire as easily as he did anyone's.

The woman's eye twitched a couple times, and she turned back into her apartment without a word, though she did leave the door open in tacit invitation.

They entered Yugao's home, and Naruto was shocked at how different the place was from the building around it... and it immediately informed him of the woman's profession.

Only a ninja would have a wall sized weapon display.

Or a picture frame made from the broken remains of a pair of swords, holding a photo of her with some sick looking guy.

The rest of what he could see wasn't what he could call 'cozy', but it did have a kind of charm to it.

Most of the decorating was in earth tones and simple designs, leaving it looking a bit like something out of a country home.

"Just take a seat wherever you like, Naruto. Kakashi, can I speak to you in private?" Yugao said, moving into what Naruto guessed would be the kitchen.

Naruto removed the carried and settled into one of the overstuffed chairs with Ralts in his lap. He retrieved the book Iruka had set him to learning from as well, and got to studying.

Inexperienced though he may be n the ways of women, he still recognized the tone that meant 'long angry talk', so he figured he'd have some time to kill before they got back.

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Yugao hissed the instant the door clicked shut behind Kakashi. "It's bad enough you're teaching him Anbu codes, you want him to check out the real estate too?"

Kakashi smothered a grin at how much Yugao looked like a hissing cat at that moment and patted the air in his usual fashion.

"Not at all, " he replied. "This is completely different, but it does have to do with my conversation with the Hokage that day. You remember the other secret thing we talked about, right? About his mother?"

"Of course," Yugao replied, somewhat puzzled by the change of topic, and how it might relate to her.

"Well, I had some thoughts, and I want to test a theory, and since you already know that secret and have what I need, I figured we could stop by," Kakashi explained.

"So you just walked a genin into one of the Anbu barracks?" Yugao asked exasperatedly. "I know you have a thing about breaking rules Taichou, but how exactly did this seem like a good idea?"

"I considered the risk, and realized that there wasn't any," Kakashi replied. "That boy is more loyal than most jounin, despite his unpleasant situation."

"And what if he decides to come back for a visit?" She pressed. "You know the security seals won't stop someone who's been granted access privileges by an approved resident, and who knows when Jiraiya-sama will come around again and remove his authorization."

The simple fact that he was guided in by an Anbu captain, which Kakashi was still registered as in the defense matrix, would disable most of the deterrent seals intruders and visitors would trigger.

"I'll just tell him you were doing me a personal favor, and not to visit you. If I explain it to him properly, he'll comply. He tries to be polite, within the limitations of his experience," Kakashi assured her.

"And probably make me look like a total bitch in the process," Yugao muttered sourly.

"Nah, just a little catty," Kakashi replied with a wink... or blink, hard to tell really.

"Fine, he's already here anyway, not much we could do to fix the problem now," Yugao admitted. "What exactly did you need?"

"Nothing much, just want to borrow one of your cats. That lazy silver one will do, if you still have him."

Yugao stared at her former captain for a few seconds before she realized he was being serious.

"I... guess I'll go get him," she replied, leaving for the almost constantly sleeping cat's favorite nap spot.

* * *

Naruto looked up from his reading to watch Kakashi stroll into the room and lean against the wall below an elevated shelf holding a few colorful boxes. Behind him, Yugao entered with a silver, long haired cat in her arms.

The cat's ears flicked forward when it saw Naruto and Ralts, but they relaxed again by the time Yugao reached him.

"Naruto, this is Doraneko, and Kakashi wanted you to meet him," Yugao said, bringing the cat over to the boy's seat.

Determining the woman's intent, Ralts shifted so she was beside Naruto in the chair, and sent the book floating over to the nearby table.

Yugao set the cat in Naruto's lap, where it tensed slightly. She crouched before the skittish feline and pet it lightly, gesturing for Naruto to do the same.

Ralts started petting the simple animal, thinking soothing thoughts, and after a bit of nervous hesitation, Naruto joined her.

It wasn't long before Doraneko got over it's own nervousness and lay in contented near-slumber, purring loudly.

Yugao stepped over to Kakashi and addressed him quietly. "I've never seen him act like that," she said, referring to the cat's skittishness. She'd seen her niece use him as a pillow before and Doraneko hadn't even blinked at the toddler.

Kakashi nodded and replied just as quietly. "Pakkun says that Naruto smells dangerous, like a predator. Might have to do with his tenant, but it limited my options for this test."

"What is this about, anyway?" Yugao asked. "I can't see any way for this to help him learn how to use his... inheritance."

Kakashi just smiled and called over to his student. "Naruto, since you have a cat handy, I want you to look it over and figure out what parts of your cat henge you did wrong, back when we were going to Wave."

"Um... Alright, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto replied. Keeping one hand petting the relaxed feline, Naruto inspected it's ears and tail as best he could.

After a few minutes, Kakashi decided that it was time to test his theory. "Naruto, let's see that henge again."

Naruto moved to stand up, and Kakashi waved him back down.

"No reason to inconvenience Doraneko, just show me from there," he suggested.

Naruto formed the rat seal for his henge, which he'd just recently realized was an early example of jutsu internalization from way back in the academy itself, and made the ears and tail appear.

Naruto winced as Doraneko jerked in surprise at the mist that accompanied them, and his needle-sharp claws dug into the legs beneath him, though not deeply enough to effect Naruto's jutsu.

The hair on this set was longer, and the tail was shorter, evidence of a new model, rather than what he'd guessed was the first inspiration: Tora.

Kakashi inspected the ears first, noting without surprise that they were still nonfunctional and that they lacked the normal reflexive evasiveness that normal cats had, but their texture was spot on, as he'd hoped.

"Give me your tail," Kakashi ordered, and Naruto complied, twisting the additional chakra appendage up and towards his teacher in a rough approximation of a true cat's serpentine grace.

Again, Kakashi was satisfied with the improvement. Gone was the cloth-on-wire feel, replaced with flesh-on-bone realism.

"Very nice," Kakashi complimented. "You've duplicated both the ears and tail almost perfectly. Now, let me see your hands."

Naruto looked at his hand, then to the cat's once more relaxed paw. What was he supposed to copy there?

"No, that won't do at all," Kakashi said, looking at the perfectly normal hand. "Try it again."

"Try what?" Naruto asked in confusion, lifting one of the paws for inspection. He knew cats had claws, but they were really tiny, at least for any cat other than Tora, and they were usually hidden anyway.

"Allow me to show you," Kakashi said in a mischievous tone. He reached up and grabbed one of the boxes on the shelf.

"Taichou don't!" Yugao tried to say, but it was too late. Kakashi had already twitched the box in a little shake, and the contents shifted with a dry rattle.

Doraneko's eyes widened and his pupils slit into narrow slits, and right in front of Naruto's face, his claws magically appeared like a handful of vicious hooks on the formerly delicate paw.

With a yowling mew, Doraneko threw himself from Naruto's lap, eliciting a yelp of pain from the genin as the claws tore into him. The cat was across the room and twisting around Kakashi's legs with two other cats before his cry even ended.

"So what did you learn?" Kakashi asked, shaking some of the apparently tasty cat treats into his palm and tossing them for the cats to retrieve.

"That you're a jerk," Naruto replied in an annoyed tone.

"While that is an entirely valid lesson, I would rather you learn that cats have pretty nasty claws, which they keep hidden until they get scared or excited," Kakashi clarified.

"An' how is that supposed to be important?" Naruto asked. He'd already learned that one when he watched Tora systematically murder his clones.

"Well, why don't you make some claws of your own and we'll see," Kakashi advised, ignoring the dark looks he was receiving from Naruto, Ralts, and Yugao, as well as the mewling beggars wrapping around his feet once again.

Naruto made his seal again, and his hands shifted, growing claws which, through design or instinct, were nearly identical to the ones he wore during the bell test. At the same time, the ears and tail appeared once more.

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction, "That's good, you can release it now."

Naruto let the transformation go, and sighed, hoping that this ridiculous lesson would end soon. What possible use could there be in looking like a humanoid cat? He couldn't even pass for a pokemon. Heck, he'd only done it the first time to get a laugh out of Sakura-chan.

"Okay, one last henge and we'll be done for now," Kakashi ordered. "Bring back the claws, nothing else."

Naruto growled in exasperation and did as he was asked.

"I want to show you something important, so pay attention," Kakashi commanded seriously.

Naruto looked up, and Kakashi henged his own hand into a mirror replica of his own.

"What difference is there between my claws and yours?" the jounin asked.

"They look the same," Naruto replied, after looking between them a few times.

"True, but there is one very, very, big difference," Kakashi said.

Then, in a blurring motion, he shot forward, jabbing into Naruto's chest in a fingertip strike, his claws leading the way.

Naruto fell back with a cry made breathless by the force of the blow, and he crashed onto the chair next to Ralts, who had hopped onto the chair's arm to avoid her partner's fall.

Naruto looked to his chest in horror, expecting to find four holes in his jumpsuit and flesh, but the outfit was pristine.

"Mine aren't real," Kakashi said, drawing the genin's attention once more. "Yours on the other hand..." He looked pointedly to where Naruto's own claws had torn into the chair's back, trying to catch himself.

"Is... is it because of... that?" Naruto asked, hand on his gut and eyes flicking toward Yugao.

"I'm pretty sure Kyuubi wouldn't be Making you grow cat tails," Kakashi replied drily. "And don't worry, Yugao already knew. She doesn't hold it against you."

"Not even going to make you pay to fix my chair," Yugao agreed. "Kakashi on the other hand..." she finished with a hint of menace in her voice.

"I'll handle it," Kakashi promised, as if he had a choice to do otherwise.

"Then how can I do somethin' like this? Naruto asked, staring at the potentially deadly weapons incredulously.

"Because it's your bloodline," Kakashi said softly. "A gift from your mother, you might say."

"My mother?" Naruto gasped, the solid henge poofing away as he recoiled from the shock of Kakashi's words.

"Kakashi..." Yugao warned quietly.

"Sarutobi gave me leave to say what I felt safe," Kakashi answered. "Naruto, you will find out everything when you become chunin, but for now, what little I can tell you must remain secret, understand?"

Naruto nodded eagerly, not even considering the fact that the Hokage had known his parents already. It had been obvious, even in his childhood, but Jiji had always promised to tell him when he was older.

"Your mother's name was Kushina Uzumaki, and while she was a loyal Konoha kunoichi, she was born in the village of Uzushiogakure," Kakashi explained.

"She moved to Konoha as a child, and went through the academy here, which is how she survived when her home village was destroyed."

"Uzu was almost totally destroyed by an alliance of villages who were afraid of them because of their support of Konoha in the second world war."

"I read about that!" Naruto realized. "That's what started the third war, right?"

"Correct," Kakashi agreed. "And some of the people behind that attack might still be around, so keep your new ability low key for now. Sarutobi wasn't even certain it was a true bloodline until I told him you could do it. And even if those people are all dead now, at least one village might still be a threat. Kumo did try kidnapping your mother once."

"Didn't the Yondaime rescue her that time?" Yugao asked, interested despite herself.

"Well, he wasn't Hokage yet, but yes," Kakashi replied casually, taking some joy at the way Naruto's face lit up at that news.

Naruto thought it was amazing that his hero had saved his mother. It was like the Yondaime had protected him before he was ever born!

Heck, if Yondaime hadn't saved his mom, he might not ever have been born. That practically made the legendary Hokage his uncle or godfather or something!

"We... that is to say, those few of us who know who your parents are, have hidden a lot from you over the years," Kakashi admitted. "But I hope you won't hold it against us."

"Sarutobi and I agreed that if I could find a way to help you learn to use your bloodline, that I could tell you about your mother, though for reasons I can't speak of, there are limits to what I can tell you now."

Naruto sat down stunned. Here was a door opening before him. One that might hold the answers to questions he'd never expected to have solved. Ralts moved into his lap and held him comfortingly.

Deciding on the first question, Naruto asked. "Do you know who my father is too?"

"Yes I do," Kakashi replied. "But I can't tell you who he is. He made a lot of enemies in the last war, and plenty of those might just want to kill you for revenge."

"Rather than risk you telling someone, and them telling someone, and so on, we decided it's best that you not know for now," Kakashi explained.

"But I promise you this: The day you become a chunin, I will personally take you to the Tomb of Ancestry to learn all about them," Kakashi swore.

"You said my dad made a lot of enemies, so was he as badass as Yondaime?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Hmm... I'd say he was exactly as badass as the Yondaime," Kakashi replied with an eye-smile. "I saw him in action a few times, and rest assured, he was cooler than you can possibly imagine."

"What about Mom?" Naruto asked, warming up to the idea of having parents. "I bet she kicked butt too!"

"Well, I never saw her fight in the war, but she did have a reputation for being too hot to handle..." Kakashi replied with a sly grin.

"I've got a question," Yugao put in. "How many people know about this? I know for a fact it's not Anbu level secrecy."

"I only know of four people who know Naruto's full parentage. Myself, Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade," Kakashi replied. "I can think of one or two others they might have told, but that would be all who know his father's identity. His mother is a bit more obvious, but... she was a bit of a fireball, so she didn't have a lot of friends..."

He mimed looking around sneakily, and whispered to Naruto. "She got picked on a lot in the academy, but she grew up to be H. O. T. Hot. Lotta girls got jealous when she got that pretty."

"What'd she do to the ones that picked on her?" Naruto asked, his eyes alight with mischief.

"She beat them like a rented training post," Kakashi replied smugly. "She didn't have a lot of friends her own age as a result, but her best friend was actually Sasuke's mother."

"My mom was best buddies with the Teme's? Naruto repeated, scandalized.

"Yup, imagine that," Kakashi teased. "If things had gone differently, you and Sasuke might have been friends from birth."

The horror on Naruto's face was priceless, but Kakashi knew they had to end their visit soon.

"Well, we've been here for a pretty long time now," Kakashi said. "So tell you what, one more question for now, then we'll head back. You can spend some time getting used to what I told you, and I'll join you at Iruka's tonight and we can talk some more."

Naruto nodded his agreement and screwed up his face in thought. If he only had one question, it had to be good. He patted Ralts as he thought, her silent support a rock within his own turbulent thoughts.

Looking out from that perspective, he realized there was only one question to ask. And if he didn't, it would wait like a hidden needle in the back of his mind until he did.

"Kakashi-sensei... Did they... My parents, did they... want me?" Naruto asked haltingly.

"They loved you more than you love ramen," Kakashi replied comfortingly. "They wanted you more than I can say, and if they loved anything in this world more than they loved you, it was each other."

Naruto held Ralts close and pulled that knowledge around himself like a blanket on a cold morning.

He had been wanted.

He had been loved.

Almost fourteen years of the bone deep fear that lived with all orphans was lanced with that knowledge. The pain of loneliness was still there, but it would fade in time. It might even heal completely, now that he had parents.

Kakashi and Yugao watched him silently. Both knew some degree of what he was going through.

When Kakashi judged him once more ready to face the world, he spoke.

"Okay, I'm sure Hikari-san will be ready for the next color scheme soon, so you and Ralts should head back. Feel free to teleport home first, if you need to clean up. I'll be along shortly. Remember that I'll be coming to Iruka's later tonight, we can talk more then."

Naruto and Ralts nodded their thanks and vanished .

"That was... nice of you, Taichou..." Yugao said, once he was gone.

"Don't spread it around, you might ruin my hip reputation," Kakashi replied sarcastically.

"It would have been nice to get him a picture of her though, I'm sure he'd be ecstatic," Yugao mused.

"I tried," Kakashi replied with a bit of frustration. "But the Intelligence department is swamped with preparation work for the exams, and the red tape to push through that mess is a nightmare, even to access the non-classified files, let alone copy them."

"Couldn't the Hokage get it easily?" Yugao remarked, puzzled.

"Yeah, but then he'd want to know my idea for training Naruto's bloodline. If he knew this was as far as I got, he might have axed the whole idea," Kakashi explained.

This is it?" Yugao repeated, surprised. "What about the shuriken shadowclone? Isn't that the same thing?"

"Yes, in a sense," Kakashi agreed. "But it's designed so that anyone can do it. I want to see what he can do on his own initiative for a while before he learns that. The way I see it, his ancestors had to do the same, but I'd be surprised if they were half as unpredictable as Naruto."

Yugao chuckled her agreement. Naruto had been something of a nightmare for village security, even if it was all rather limited in regards to threat potential.

"Still wish I had a picture for him though..." Kakashi grumbled.

"Don't you have any?" Yugao asked. It had sounded like he had known her quite well.

"None that didn't have Minato-sensei in it too..." he replied.

"Why would that matter?" Yugao asked, before noticing the look in Kakashi's eye. Her jaw dropped.

"Oops," Kakashi said, completely disingenuously. "Not that it'll stay secret much longer anyway, but don't spread that around either, okay?"

Yugao blinked, and Kakashi was gone, and she couldn't even be mad at him for getting her floor dirty this time.

Naruto Uzumaki...

Well, isn't that something?

Yugao crossed her arms underneath her modest bust and brought her thumb to her mouth, worrying at the nail in nervous habit.

Kakashi didn't simply let secrets slip. He was strong, clever and manipulative. If he let her learn something this important, it was because he thought she might need the information.

But why?

Was it simple paranoia, or did he know of a specific threat?

And why her? Did he want her specifically to know, or just someone he could trust in Anbu, just in case?

She blew out a breath grumbled a few unpleasant things about her former captain.

It was things like this that made him one of the prime candidates for Hokage, if Sarutobi were to retire soon.

There was no doubt that he'd planned everything that had happened there, and had a sneaky feeling that there was more going on in his tricky little mind than even she could guess at.

Deciding to take things slowly, just in case, Yugao promised herself that she would hold the secret close, until something serious occurred that might force her hand.

But just in case, she would tell Hayate-kun, after forcing a promise of secrecy from him.

Naruto Uzumaki, heir to the Yondaime, would have two secret defenders, and woe to any who might wish him harm.

* * *

After a week of effort working for Hikari, the team had repainted the Suzuhara shop more than twenty times, and by then, even Naruto was thoroughly sick of paint.

So it was with some joy that Naruto's clones finally applied the real paint.

Two coats later, the shop was painted in colors the team had only used separately, and in a pattern they hadn't used at all, but Hikari was delighted with the final results.

As a side effect to it's rapidly changing decor, and it's change from looking like a simple warehouse, interest in the shop skyrocketed.

In response to the influx of new customers, many of which were civilians, Touji posted a hand painted notice just outside the doors listing store policies.

True to form, the first thing written on the sign was the phrase 'My store. My rules. You don't like 'em? Shop somewhere else.'

Hikari had objected of course, until Touji started sending the people with 'advice for any new businesses' her way.

Machamp soon added Bouncer to his lengthy list of business related skills.

So, with the mission complete to Hikari's satisfaction and beyond, the team left for a well earned break.

Of course, for some ninja, a day's work is never done.

"Finally finished Boss?" Konohamaru called, running up to Naruto with his two friends.

"You bet! Looks great, don't it?" Naruto bragged, flashing his little friend a grin.

The loud boy had tracked him down a couple days after his conversation with Kakashi, and pestered him until Naruto had sent a shadowclone away with him to see what the brat wanted.

Naruto was surprised when the clone dispelled hours later. It had decided on it's own to help the brat, not that he could blame it. They weren't too different when he'd heard Konohamaru's story.

Since then, Naruto had met with the kid personally, once Konohamaru was out of the academy and he'd ditched his pajama wearing tutor.

Adhering to Kakashi-sensei's 'team stays together' rule, Naruto took a seat on a bench in front of the shop and tried to teach Konohamaru and his two buddies.

He'd have felt bad about leaving Sakura-chan and the Teme to the work, but by then his clones were doing all the painting, while the team mostly helped Touji and Hikari deal with the influx of customers, since they didn't want to close up shop completely.

Most of his time with the students was spent teaching them some of the more interesting lessons he'd learned from his own senseis, including the idea of using their imaginations to help create and use jutsu.

He demonstrated somewhat, though his options were limited by his relatively small repertoire of jutsu. Though when Ebisu finally managed to track down his student, Naruto talked the prideful tokubetsu jounin into demonstrating some of the ones Kakashi had shown team seven, as well as a few of his own devising.

The week continued in this manner, and if Ebisu took just as long to find the students each day, no one called him out on it.

Even an 'elite ninja tutor' knew a good things when he saw it, and Naruto was a decent inspiration for the kids.

It didn't hurt that he could relate to their own frustration at still being in the academy either.

"Sure does!" Konohamaru replied excitedly, and his two shadows agreed completely. "So what'cha gonna do now? Gonna go save another country or somethin'?"

"Nah. Kakashi's got us training pretty hardcore, so we're probably gonna be stuck with crappy D-ranks for a while," Naruto said, trying not to let it get him down.

"Besides, gotta let the other guys save the girl once in a while, right?" He added with a grin and a wink towards Moegi, Konohamaru's kunoichi-in-training friend.

"Yeah! Save some for us!" Konohamaru replied. "I'll show you good when we're finally genin!"

"I'm sure you'll try, brat," Naruto said with a Sasuke-like smirk. "But just think about how much cooler I'm gonna be by then. You better work hard if you wanna catch up! Dattebayo!"

"Then I will!" Konohamaru declared, with his friends cheering their agreement. "Me an' Moegi an' Udon will work harder than anyone you know! Harder than anyone you ever heard of even! Then we'll show you!"

"You darn well better," Naruto replied forcefully. "If my first student doesn't give me more challenge for the hat than Dog breath, I am gonna be so ticked." He turned a glare on the three that was so overdone that it was more comedic than threatening.

"Bah," Naruto grumbled when he realized his look wasn't getting the response he'd hoped for.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei gave us the rest of the day off, so if you guys wanna go do somethin', I'm up for it. Dunno what's goin' on tomorrow yet though, so let's make it count, 'kay?"

"Yeah! You're the best boss!" Konohamaru cheered. "Whack-a-clone, all the way!"

"We played that last time, let's play Henge & Seek," Moegi countered.

"Um... I'd really rather play Save the Princess..." Udon said with a sniffle.

"You always wanna play that," Moegi complained.

"It's just 'cause the Boss makes the princess so pretty," Konohamaru remarked.

Naruto grinned at that. He'd picked the girls he knew to have his clones copy to portray the princesses. Only Haku-chan and Sakura-chan so far, but in the same manner, he'd replicated Zabuza and the Demon Brothers so he could play a properly scary villain.

He still laughed at the memory of the kids busting in the door to the little shed he'd chosen for his hideout that day and found a giant like Zabuza, rather than a basic clone of Naruto like they'd had to fight through to reach it.

He'd even gotten a really big stick so he could henge with it, so it looked like he had the huge sword Zabuza used, but it broke after a few hits, and was about as sharp as an egg.

Oh, it felt like a sword and all, just like his claws looked like pretty dangerous claws, but they were as fragile as shadowclones, and he hadn't quite figured out how to fix that.

But it'd only been a few days, and Naruto was sure he'd figure it out soon enough, maybe even before the exams began.

"Tell ya what," Naruto said, interrupting their dispute. "Since I got some time today, we'll do all three."

"First, we'll go get some lunch, cause I'm hungry enough to eat a ponyta whole, and then we'll do Henge & seek. You guys go hide on the path between Ichiraku's and our usual spot, an' I'll try to find you on the way."

"When we get there, I'll make a bunch of clones for ya, then I'll go set up a cool rescue mission for you to start on when ya finish clearing them out."

"Yeah!" "Awesome!" "You're the best Boss!" his unofficial students cheered.

"It's settled then," Naruto declared. "Off to Ichiraku's!"

As he led the group in a quick jog, Ralts lounged half in her carrier and half on her partner's shoulder. She basked in the glow of the warm feelings flowing between them, luxuriating in them the way others might a nice patch of sunlight.

* * *

Four long and exceptionally tiring weeks later, team seven made their way through the outskirts and towards the village proper. They had just finished a particularly long training session with Kakashi sensei, but luckily he'd given them a break from missions, thanks to the upcoming exams.

The team walked together, as much due to exhaustion as for companionship, though, as usual, Naruto was still full of energy.

He paced along beside his more tired allies, bragging about how they were going to 'kick so much ass, the other villages will think it's our national sport' during the exams.

Over the top, typical for him, but none of his teammates could claim to feel less than confident, especially with how hard they had been training.

Even Sakura held high hopes for their chances.

She had recently returned Kurenai-sensei's journal, more because she had managed to memorize everything she could imagine needing from it, rather than because her strength training was complete.

As a reward for her considerable progress, she'd received a scroll of genjutsu techniques from the lovely jounin, along with an invitation to stop by in the future if she needed help learning them

She'd been practicing with those since then, and had even gotten a couple of the simpler ones down.

Unfortunately, Kakashi-sensei hadn't been of much help, since he claimed to have very little talent for that type of genjutsu, so she did have to consult with Kurenai-sensei more than she'd have preferred, knowing she might be competing against the woman's own students in the exam.

Despite his lack of ability, Kakashi still did what he could to help her, if only by agreeing to be a test target a couple days each week. He spent an equal amount of time on Naruto and Sasuke, but he was able to be a bit more proactive in their lessons.

It was obvious that the boys were confident in their skills as well.

Sasuke wasn't as loud about it as Naruto of course, but every step he took seemed to state his intentions for success. He was stronger, that much was obvious, but Sakura could tell that he wasn't flaunting the full measure of his growth. He held back a bit, hiding it from everyone, even during their spars.

She figured he wanted to make his world debut one hell of an event, but knew he could also be preparing, just in case the team had to fight each other eventually.

Naruto was also stronger, and not shy about showing it, Sakura noted as Naruto mimed through a one-two-uppercut combo, releasing a blast of wind seallessly as he finished, launching some imaginary opponent into the stratosphere.

Sakura wasn't certain, but she suspected he was hiding something too. It could easily be part of the fighting style Kakashi had taught him, but he hadn't perfected yet. The odd swipes and fingertip jabs did seem to fit into his fighting style.

The pokemon had grown considerably as well, under Absol's stoic tutelage.

None had evolved, but they all had learned more attacks, and were much more capable of holding their own against a typical genin level pokemon, at least that's what Kakashi believed.

The team passed through the guarded checkpoint between the training grounds and Konoha proper, and Sasuke and Charmeleon headed off toward their home near the Uchiha district, while Naruto and Sakura, with their pokemon, continued on deeper into the village towards their own homes.

Sasuke found the idea of living alone in the clan compound unpalatable, haunted as it was by his memories, so he had chosen to stay in an apartment complex owned by the family just outside of it.

From his balcony, he could look out over the empty homes, reminding himself of his formerly beloved brother's treachery.

His personal training however, he did within the district's own dojos. He wanted the ghosts of his dead family, if any still remained in the blighted place, to know that he was working hard to avenge them.

Sakura and Naruto walked through the village together, though there was enough space between them to prevent anyone from thinking they were 'together', so Sakura didn't raise a fuss. They did have to go the same general direction afterall.

Besides, as annoying as his rambling antics usually were, at the moment she found his confident predictions of victory to be reassuring.

It was hard to be angry, with the level of faith he had in her, himself and Sasuke, to say nothing of their pokemon companions.

Naruto suddenly went silent, and Sakura glanced at him curiously.

She noticed the half-focused look in his eyes, certain evidence that he was either speaking with Ralts telepathically, or trying to concentrate on something, but didn't want to be obvious.

She felt his chakra flicker an instant before he froze completely.

"Shadow Possession jutsu: Complete." Shikamaru's apathetic voice muttered.

Before he even finished, Ino's Oddish leapt forward and sent a cloud of yellow powder at Naruto with a wave of it's leaves. _(Stun Spore)_

Ino strode confidently up to Naruto, gloating pride in her steps. "You can't run away this time! Now you're gonna stand there and talk to me!"

"Not likely, Ino-pig," Sakura replied, reaching over to tap the blond boy's shoulder.

The fragile illusion surrounding his Kawarimi replacement collapsed, revealing a typical log with a taunting face carved into it.

"He's really getting good at that," Sakura remarked, a little jealous that he could already alter his replacements in transit. Tricky little moron probably considered it a combat prank, but at least he didn't have the exploding tag logs trick Kakashi demonstrated yet... hopefully.

"Dammit!" Ino shouted, punching the immobile log in it's cartoonish face. "How hard is it to catch one dead-last genin!" she demanded of the world around her, gaining quite a few odd looks.

"You've been trying for a month now... So I guess it's pretty hard," Chouji pointed out.

"Well, he can't have gone far. Come on guys, we can still catch him!" Ino said, attempting to herd her team into the chase.

"Actually, I'm done," Shikamaru replied tiredly, standing up and looking up at the sky longingly.

"What!" Ino protested. "You can't say that! We had a deal, you promised you'd help me catch him!"

"Yeah... about that. The deal was that I would 'try' to help you catch him, if you did my chores for the week. All you did was bribe Chouji to do them for you."

"They got done, didn't they?" Ino grumbled.

"Yeah, which is why I hired him to keep doing them," Shikamaru agreed. "And if Mom finds out and complains, I can just tell her that it's a fair trade thing between us. He gets money to help take care of Aron, and I get more time for cloud watching."

"Besides," he added with a shrug. "This is Naruto, if he's really trying to avoid you, you have no chance of catching him."

Ino sat down in a huff, glaring at the carved face of Naruto's decoy.

Sakura watched the two best friends leave, Beldum floating patiently behind Shikamaru, while Aron hopped around chasing and eating small metal treats Chouji tossed for it.

Once they were gone, she sidled up to her longtime friend-slash-rival. She was a bit concerned about the gloomy aura surrounding Ino, but couldn't resist the urge to pull on the girl's ponytail... metaphorically speaking of course.

"So..." she began sweetly. "You've been chasing Naruto for a whole month? Does that mean you're done trying to take my Sasuke-kun?"

Ino was on her feet and in Sakura's face in a flash.

"You wish Forehead!" She replied aggressively. "Sasuke-kun is mine, even if he doesn't realize it yet! You should count yourself lucky if we even invite you to the wedding." The blonde beauty sniffed primly and turned her back to her rival in love.

"Then why are you trying to chase down Naruto?" Sakura asked pointedly.

The superior stance Ino held shattered like glass, and she hung her head in shame.

"I messed up," she admitted. "Shikamaru told me I did, and you know how he is. That lazy bastard won't even say 'good morning' unless he's certain it's true."

"But I think it's worse than even he knew..." she said regretfully. "He's been avoiding me since he gave us those leaves, and I really have no idea how to make him stop and give me a chance to apologize..."

"What on earth did you do?" Sakura asked, amazed at this turn of events. She certainly hadn't noticed anything odd about Naruto's behavior.

"Oh no. No, no, no." Ino said rapidly, waving her hands defensively before her. "The only person I'll even consider repeating it to is Naruto, then he'll forgive me, and I can forget this whole mess ever happened... I hope."

"That bad, huh?" Sakura questioned, frowning in sympathy.

"How do you apologize for something serious, when you don't even know why it was wrong?" Ino grumbled in frustration.

"Flowers, chocolate, promises you don't intend to keep..." Sakura suggested with a teasing grin.

"I'm being serious, Sakura," Ino replied sourly. "And it's not like I forgot his birthday, I need something bigger than 'lame boyfriend apology' gifts."

"Well, my mom always said that the best gifts to give are things that the person needs, but doesn't know they do," Sakura replied after some thought.

"Then I should buy him some new clothes," Ino declared. The thought of some fashion shopping, even for someone like Naruto wasn't unpleasant.

"While I might agree, remember that you're trying to be nice, and he really likes that ugly jumpsuit," Sakura advised cautiously.

"Explosive tags, or new weapons then?" Ino suggested. All guys loved stuff like that, or at least the normal ones, Shikamaru and Chouji didn't count.

"Better than clothes," Sakura agreed, "but after that mess in Wave, we're all pretty well set for buying normal stuff like that."

"Why are boys are so hard to shop for?" Ino complained loudly.

"Well, do you really have to buy something?" Sakura asked. "You were just planning to talk to him earlier."

"I know, but after all this... it just sounds kinda weak. I mean 'Sorry I screwed up so bad you ran from me for a month' doesn't really measure up," Ino said in a depressed voice.

"I guess you have a point there," Sakura agreed.

"Of course I do. Not that it matters, since I can't catch him anyway," Ino growled in frustration.

"You don't have to catch him," Sakura replied. "Just walk up to him when he can't run away."

"Like where?" Ino asked. "I already tried Ichiraku's, the patrol won't let me near your training ground, since the exams are soon and they don't want anyone spying, and I can't get in his place. Where else does he go?"

"Well, he shops at the Suzuhara place, and he visits Iruka-sensei almost every day..." Sakura answered. "And sometimes he visits the Hughes family."

"Really?" Ino replied in surprise. "He actually visits that weirdo?" That man redefined obsessive. If he put as much effort into his career as he did showing off his daughter, the man might be a Kage.

Sakura laughed a bit in embarrassment. "Yeah, Maes is a bit unusual, but he is a good guy... Plus, we did help with Elisa's birth and all. Maes told us that it practically makes us family. I think that means a lot to Naruto."

"That's right, Naruto's an orphan, isn't he?" Ino remembered sadly.

"Yeah, but unlike Sasuke-kun, I don't think he knows who his real family was," Sakura agreed.

"Hey Forehead, your team's gonna be in the exams, right?" Ino asked after a few minutes of thought filled silence.

"Yeah, there's no way the boys will pass on something like that, and I'm pretty sure I'm ready for it too," Sakura replied confidently.

"Good, that's where I'll do it then," Ino said, nodding firmly. "He can't run there."

"So you have an idea now?" Sakura asked curiously.

"I have a great idea," Ino beamed. "But it's gonna take some work, and I'll need to talk Daddy into helping, so I'll see you later!"

Sakura stared as the blonde nearly sprinted away. She shook her head in exasperation at the weird blondes in her life and continued her walk home.

A nice hot bath was waiting, and she was really learning to appreciate them with all the training she'd been doing lately.

* * *

Naruto reappeared standing horizontally on the side of a building two streets east of his known stalker.

"Thanks for the warning, Ralts-chan," he said, flashing his partner a grin. She could easily have teleported them away, but free training was too good to pass up.

Besides, he got to show off in front of Sakura-chan, and that was bound to be good for his image, right?"

"Awesome boss! We were just lookin' for you!" Konohamaru called from the ground not far away.

"H-how did you know where we were?" Udon asked with a noisy sniffle.

"Me an' Ralts-chan are just that good." Naruto stated proudly, pretending the purely accidental coincidence was all skill.

Those three thought he was the coolest thing since ramen ice cream (which sounded much better than it tasted, he sadly learned) and it would be a crime to disabuse them of that belief.

He hopped down in what he hoped was a cool and relaxed manner, trying to emulate Kakashi-sensei a bit, and walked up to his pupils.

Ralts rolled her eyes at his blatant act, and made faces at him from where he couldn't see, earning a few odd looks from passerby, and giggles from the students.

"You were lookin' for me, an' now ya found me," he said in what he hoped was a cool manner. "So what'cha want?"

"We want to play ninja some more!" Konohamaru said predictably, with earnest agreement from his friends.

"Hmm... Well, Kakashi-sensei did give us the rest of the day off... but I gotta meet Iruka-sensei later to talk about the exam... Alright, I'll give ya an hour or so," he decided.

"That's not very long at all," Moegi pouted.

"No, but I'm still training for the chunin exams, so it's all I have to give. Take it or leave it," Naruto replied. He couldn't afford to risk his promotion, or his life, by shirking his preparations, even if it meant the kids had to be unhappy with him once in a while.

"We'll take it!" Konohamaru replied quickly.

"But how do we decide what to play?" Udon asked quietly.

"You settle it like ninja," Naruto decided.

"A fight?" Konohamaru asked excitedly.

"That is one way," Naruto admitted. "But that might take up a lot of your time, so instead: A race! First one to the training ground gets to choose!"

The kids looked surprised at this solution, but soon recovered and took off at top speed through the streets. Laughingly, Naruto chased after them, though he took the lead easily.

Not that he was actually competing, a genin against academy students wouldn't be fair, but it couldn't hurt to show the kids what they'd be able to do themselves in a few short years.

With this in mind, he ran alongside them, jumping from walls and fences with ease and cheering on whichever of the trio was furthest behind. Ralts gave her own encouragement via both telepathy and cries of 'Ra!' as the race continued.

He rounded a corner running backwards, making faces of his own at the racers after catching Ralts doing the same, though he didn't realize that the children weren't her target, and only a warning from Ralts kept him from plowing into a pedestrian.

He leapt straight up , latched his hand onto the wall with chakra and using that arm as a pivot, rotated so he was standing on the wall facing down.

"Watch out for the obstacle guys!" Naruto shouted, just as the Konohamaru squad rounded into sight. The three split around the pair and continued on for a few more seconds before an angry shout from the black-clad person made them stop.

"Hey! Who the hell are you calling an obstacle, runt?" Kankuro shouted. He got enough disrespect from his family, he sure as hell wasn't going to take it from some random brats here too.

"Well... it's a race, and you were in the path, so you kinda are..." Moegi pointed out, a bit out of breath from the exertion.

"An' live obstacles are the best kind, good for training reflexes an' observation, an' stuff," Naruto agreed, trying to sound like a seasoned trainer.

"So you kids are already training to be ninja?" Temari asked.

"You bet! We're gonna be the best genin team ever!" Konohamaru boasted. He'd always been the primary spokesman for the trio, largely because the jerks who refused to see him as anything but the 'Honorable Grandson' had trouble arguing against him.

"And what? That makes you their sensei or somethin'?" Kankuro asked, looking to the blond runt that insulted him off in the first place.

"Nah, I'm still a genin, so I can't be a real sensei yet," Naruto replied. "But I remember how much of a pain it was being stuck on the academy stuff, so I agreed to help them learn some of the neater parts of being a real ninja."

"The boss is cool like that," Konohamaru added.

"I'm sure he is," Temari replied with a touch of sarcasm. How seriously could Konoha possibly take their ninja if they allowed them to play with children?

If Naruto noticed her tone, he gave no indication.

"So you're from Suna, right? Here for the exams?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"That's right, what's it to ya?" Kankuro replied crankily.

"Just curious, I'm gonna be there too," Naruto said proudly. "I know Suna an' us are allies an' all, but don't think I'll go easy on ya. I gotta win the whole thing so I get promoted an' get even closer to becoming Hokage" Dattebayo!"

"Hokage? A little pest like you? That's rich!" Kankuro laughed cruelly. "A Kage's gotta be strong and smart, not a little runt! Plus, a Kage wouldn't waste his time messing around with snot-nosed brats!"

"We are not brats!" Konohamaru protested, stepping forward aggressively. Moegi and Udon chimed their agreement as they fell in beside him, ready to put their training with the boss to use.

Naruto waved the three back carelessly, though his eyes were hard as he glared at Kankuro.

"A Kage's job is to train and protect his village's ninja and citizens with all his power. If all I can do to uphold that tradition is train academy students, then that's what I'll do for now. If you got a problem with that, come at me, and I'll show you how strong I am," he said in his best 'Zabuza' tone.

"An' that goes for all of ya," he added for the benefit of the hidden people Ralts had noticed.

Kankuro and Temari looked worried until a boy with short spiky brown hair and an embarrassed smile poked his head around the corner.

"You noticed me, huh?" He said with some chagrin. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but I heard you talking about the exam... I didn't want to interrupt, but I was hoping I might ask you for some info, when you're done..."

Naruto nodded in assent and turned his gaze up into a nearby tree, where a redheaded boy stood on a branch glowering down at the group.

"What about you? You just waitin' to talk too?" He called up.

The two Suna ninja followed his gaze, and the instant they recognized Gaara, fear poured off them like heat from a bonfire.

"No," Gaara replied in his rough voice. "I simply came to ensure that my... teammates were not embarrassing our village."

"Us? N-no way. We're just having a chat, scoping out the competition, that's all," Kankuro replied, nervous fear obvious in his voice.

"Kankuro, shut up, or I will kill you," Gaara said, his dark ringed eyes never leaving Naruto.

Ralts watched Gaara carefully. His emotional presence was almost as strange as Kakashi's, but while the jounin's were wispy and intangible, probably as a result of hiding them for so much of his life, the boy's were harsh and primal, like a statue cut from obsidian, all sharp edges and deadly lines.

He was like a child who knew emotions by name, but had never felt any but the most vicious of it's forms.

As he stared at Naruto, a bubbling sickly feeling emerged from deep within him, and as it rose, the rest of Gaara's emotional shards fell into formation around it. When it reached the surface of his mind, the bubble burst, and a flash of ancient and malevolent emotion sparked, igniting a predatory interest in the boy, directed at Naruto.

"_Be careful, there is something... wrong within him,"_ Ralts warned, and Naruto nodded at the message.

"You... Naruto Uzumaki... To become the Hokage is the purpose of your existence, is it not?" Gaara rasped, a mad gleam in his eye.

"Yeah, why?" Naruto replied cautiously.

"Mother is interested... which of us bears the more valid existence," Gaara replied maliciously. "If I wish to test your strength, I need only 'come at you', correct?"

"That's right. You got a problem with me, we can settle it here and now," Naruto replied boldly. It was obvious this guy was from Suna too, maybe they all had bad attitudes or something. But nasty or not, Naruto wasn't about to back down from a challenge.

What's the worst that could happen anyway? A foreign ninja wouldn't risk everything on a whim, right?

"Very well then, Naruto Uzumaki. Show me your strength, validate my existence!" Gaara said forcefully.

Without any obvious signal, a column of sand shot from the mouth of the gourd on his back, curling around in the air to crash into where Naruto had been standing.

Naruto redirected his dodge, rebounding from a shop sign projecting from the wall he'd been perched on and leapt at the redheaded maniac, only to come up short when something grabbed his ankle and yanked him to the ground.

He landed nimbly and shot a glare at the brown haired boy, but turned his eyes forward again when he heard two waves of sand slam together right where he would have been, had the other boy not interfered.

The sand coiled around itself with serpentine swiftness and darted at him again, a number of smaller tendrils splitting off in an attempt to cut off his escape.

"Stay behind me!" Naruto ordered the stranger, facing the largest of the attacks.

Naruto flipped each hand into Haku's version of the bird seal and pumped a healthy measure of chakra into his jutsu.

"Gale palm!" Naruto shouted, pushing both hands forward and angling the attacks together. The winds caught against each other and twisted into a spiraling blast that ripped through the sand, scattering it into uselessness.

Barely blunted by the interposed attack, it continued on to Gaara, who hadn't expected his sand to be obliterated so easily and slammed him into the tree at his back. Far from hurt, the mad jinchuuriki cackled with excitement, pleased that he had found worthy prey so easily.

Before he could collect his dispersed weapon, a number of branches moved to encase him in a leafy prison. He looked at his opponent in surprise.

Ralts leaned over Naruto's shoulder, stubby arms pointed at her prisoner, and a look of extreme concentration in her green glowing eyes. _(Grass Knot)_

"Wait! Stop fighting!" Temari called, moving to block Naruto's attack, with her own if necessary. "If you two keep acting like this, you might catch your Anbu's attention, and that won't be good for anyone."

"So? He attacked me!" Naruto replied in consternation.

"But you challenged him," Temari pointed out, not technically true, he just said he'd accept any challenge against him, but it was close enough for her purposes. "If the authorities get involved, they'll probably take us all into custody. Host villages get really paranoid about infiltrations and assassination attempts around exam time."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "I can see that, especially since Konohamaru here is the Hokage's grandkid." While he wasn't involved directly in the conflict, he was close enough that it might complicate things.

Temari nodded, slightly impressed that he'd realized the implications well enough to make the logical connection. "And since we're the Kazekage's heirs, that makes this whole mess a potentially primed explosive tag waiting to go off. Odds are good that we'd end up in cells until the Kages can get together and decide how to handle it."

"Which might make us miss the exams..." Naruto replied sourly.

"Do you believe a mere prison cell could hold me?" Gaara asked threateningly. He hadn't made a move to escape Ralts' technique, but it was obvious that he didn't consider it a threat.

"I believe they will try," Temari said cautiously. "And that might not be good for the village. You know how important these exams are to our future prosperity."

Gaara looked back to Naruto and Ralts, as well as the brown haired boy watching curiously from behind him.

He remained silent for a time, but eventually nodded his assent and vanishing in a swirl of sand, to appear with his teammates, who flinched away from him violently.

"We will continue our battle another day, Naruto Uzumaki. We will learn which of us has the stronger purpose," he assured his chosen target.

"Lookin' forward to it," Naruto replied confidently. He'd seen the guy's trick now, how hard could it be to beat? "I'll show you and everyone else at the exams how strong I can be! Dattebayo!"

Gaara's eyes flashed, and he smiled cruelly at the promised validation. He then turned an emotionless stare at the interloper who had prevented a swift end to the battle.

"Your blood does not interest Mother, but should we meet again, I will kill you for your actions this day," Gaara promised, and the boy shivered at how cold the jinchuuriki's voice was.

Without another word, Gaara turned and strode away, ignoring the scattered dirt, testament to his wrath.

"Dude, you are so dead," Kankuro muttered as he rushed after his homicidal little brother.

Temari didn't say anything, but the pitying glance she sent over her shoulder stated her agreement poignantly.

As Gaara walked away, an olive green creature poked it's head out of his gourd and looked back at the site of the skirmish sadly.

Unfortunately only Ralts noticed this, since Naruto had turned to the brown haired boy.

"You all right?" Naruto asked in concern. It was odd enough that he'd just shown up, but actually trying to help in a fight like that?

"Yeah, though I think I have a certifiable reason to avoid beaches and deserts now," The boy replied with a grimace, eying the sand which had begun creeping in to surround them before Temari spoke up.

'That's probably a good idea," Naruto agreed. "Thanks for the save there, never seen a jutsu like that before."

"Pretty sure it was a magnet release, though I've never seen one that didn't use actual metal as a medium," the boy replied.

"Magnet, huh?" Naruto repeated, it sounded cool enough, but it wasn't anything he didn't think he could beat.

"Yeah, rare ability from Suna, their third Kazekage was famous for it. Rumor is their fourth has it too," the boy elaborated.

"Eh, I'll still kick his butt if he picks another fight with me," Naruto boasted confidently.

The boy laughed at Naruto's bravado, and the blond glowered at him.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up. I'm gonna be Hokage, so I can't let people just push me around," he objected.

"I'll remember that then. Naruto Uzumaki: Future Hokage. Not someone to mess with," The boy replied seriously.

"That's right!" Naruto agreed.

"So, you got some time to talk about the exams a bit?" The boy prompted.

"Sure, we were having a race, but I think maybe it'd be a good idea to walk from here... What'cha need to know?" Naruto replied, stepping away along their route.

"Thanks a lot. All I really need to know is where the building is we're supposed to meet the proctors at," the boy replied as he fell into step beside Naruto.

The students trailed along behind them, disputing among themselves how they were supposed to decide what to play now.

"Why do you need to know that?" Naruto asked. "The address is right on the application form."

"Well... it's kinda complicated, but the short version is this: My team's sensei couldn't make the trip, so we got stuck with a substitute team leader for the duration. Problem is, he's an espionage type, and he's got a thing for stupid games, so he decided we need to prove we're ready for the exams by finding the place without help from him, and he confiscated our applications."

"That's pretty stupid..." Naruto agreed.

"Yeah, especially since none of us are really 'spy material'," the boy added. "So, will you help me out?"

"I guess I could..." Naruto admitted, looking the boy over. "But how do I know you're telling the truth? You aren't wearin' a headband or anything."

"Sorry, part of the rules. I'm not allowed to let anyone know what village I'm from. I'm just lucky he didn't think to say I can't just ask or we'd be stuck," the boy replied with an annoyed frown. "Probably thought we wouldn't be dumb enough to try, but I'm tired of looking for the damn place."

Naruto watched carefully for any signs of deceit, but neither he nor Ralts sensed any dishonesty.

"Alright, I'll show ya, but I want a name at least," Naruto decided.

"I'm called Shugorei," the boy replied easily. "Most of my friends call me Shu though. It's less of a mouthful."

"Shoe? That's a funny name," Naruto chuckled.

"Yeah yeah, make any foot jokes and I'll put mine up your butt," Shugorei replied sourly. "Most people from my village have strange names."

"Not like I can say much, I'm named after a fishcake," Naruto replied affably. "Or a whirlpool, which is much cooler, but ya don't see much of those around Konoha. But I guess I can show ya the place."

"Thanks man, you're a lifesaver," replied Shugorei gratefully.

"Hey, no fair! The boss already promised to play with us!" Konohamaru protested loudly.

"Yeah, and we already lost a lot of time thanks to those jerks!" Moegi added.

"Hey, don't forget who I am!" Naruto replied, striking a pose. "I'm the amazing Naruto Uzumaki, and I can do both at once!"

Naruto created a shadowclone, and presented it to Shugorei with a flourish.

"He'll show ya where to go, while I keep my promise to the kiddies," Naruto said, grinning wider when the students objected to being called 'kiddies'.

"Neat trick, and thanks again. I owe ya one," Shugorei said earnestly.

"Any time," Naruto replied. "Call it inter-village relationship building. I gotta do stuff like that when I'm Hokage anyway."

"I'll be sure to tell Leader-sama when I get back home then," Shugorei promised, as he walked away from the group, following his designated clone as it leapt away across the rooftops.

* * *

"He cheated!" Whined a voice, malicious despite it's childish claim. "Not fair just asking! Not fair, not fair at all!"

"There wasn't a rule against asking, and it's not exactly fair of you to assign a stupid test like that in the first place," Shugorei countered, his tone more forceful than it had been earlier, despite the fact that he was now arguing with his temporary leader.

"Stupid? Stupid! Is that any way to speak to your sensei!" Raged the older man. In the nearly lightless room, his strange, billowy black clothing made him appear as little more than a white hideous face floating in the air above Shugorei's head, with similarly colored forearms and hands waving in time to his exclamations.

"You are not our sensei," interrupted a cold voice from the darkest corner of the room. Eyes like twin chips of blue topaz glared at their chaperone coldly. "You are merely a convenient replacement for our true teacher, and you know what she and the Old Letch will do if your games cost us this opportunity."

"You should not speak of Leader-sama so disrespectfully," chastised their kunoichi companion. "Though it is true that he will be displeased if we have to return home..."

"Please, he's as proud of his vice as that Sannin," the blue eyed boy scoffed.

"True enough, but that's a matter for another day," interrupted Shugorei. "Right now we need to do what we should have days ago: Benge, we need to leave the village and come in the right way."

Benge the Shadow-weaver deflated a bit at that news. He took pride in his ability to get into any place, no matter how guarded. He excelled at breaking other people's rules, and obeying another village's policies, even in this limited way, rankled. But the brats were right, the Old Letch would have his head if they failed before the real test even began.

"And if we come in announced, we won't have to sneak around anymore..." pointed out the kunoichi, her red eyes glittering in the darkness.

"I'm sure there are some interesting opponents you could go up against..." Shugorei added, winking at her for the idea. It was common knowledge in their village that Benge considered his greatest rival to be the current Nara clan head, it was the entire reason he had volunteered for this mission.

"Fine! Fine, you brats win," Benge grouched. "gather your things, we leave immediately." The mildly psychotic assassin crossed his arms and tapped an unseen foot impatiently.

Shugorei grabbed a pair of packs as his teammates stood and settled cloaks around themselves. He offered one to the kunoichi, and she shrugged into it while he put on the other.

She fidgeted with the straps a bit, then sighed in annoyance and retrieved a thick strip of black cloth from a pocket of her cloak and tied it around her eyes, but not before her teammates saw the familiar melancholy in her expression.

Shugorei squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, as their third teammate stepped over to join them, wearing no pack of his own, but covered head to toe in a dark blue cloak.

With them all together, Benge somehow flowed around and over them, and in mere seconds, all that remained of the group was a length of black cloth fluttering to the floor, empty and abandoned, as the elite assassin of Nakagakure drew the team into the shadows that were his truest home and out into the wilds surrounding Konoha.

* * *

The day of the chunin exams, Naruto arrived early, as had become his habit, but to his surprise, Sasuke was already there.

He plopped down on the grass near where Sasuke stood, leaning against the wall. Charmeleon looked over at him from where the pokemon lazed in the sun, and Naruto and Ralts greeted him cheerfully.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Naruto said, attempting to make small talk while they waited for Sakura and Eevee.

"Hngh," Sasuke grunted. Somehow he managed to make the sound both an affirmative and an insult. If nothing else, his association with Charmeleon was improving his nonverbal vocabulary.

"Same here," Naruto replied, ignoring the typically surly response from his teammate. "I kept tryin' to figure out what kinda tests they're gonna have us do... You got any ideas?"

"Hmph?" Sasuke replied, which Naruto chose to translate as 'How should I know?'

"Yeah, just figured I'd ask. Even Iruka-sensei was real secretive about it, but he did tell me that there's usually three tests, an' we gotta pass the first two to have any chance at getting' promoted," Naruto elaborated.

"Hmm?" Sasuke replied, curiosity evident in his tone.

"Yeah, apparently the first two will be team tests, with some other stuff mixed in depending on who's in charge, an' what they think is important. The last test is always a one-on-one tournament though, with a bunch of big shots coming to watch," Naruto explained quietly. He didn't want to be overheard, just in case rival competitors might be near.

Sakura joined them near the end of the explanation, so he recapped it for her benefit, before telling her that he and Sasuke were having a friendly conversation, to which Sasuke grunted derisively.

"I find that a bit hard to believe," Sakura commented. Sasuke-kun didn't have 'friendly conversations' with anyone. Not even her or Kakashi-sensei...

"Ya just gotta listen the right way," Naruto replied. "He's just like a pokemon."

"Gngh," Sasuke scoffed.

"I think you're right," Sakura exclaimed. "I clearly heard 'Shut up Dobe' in that one."

"Finally, we've cracked the secret Uchiha language!" Naruto cheered. "We can now understand Sasukese!"

"Let's just get in there and start the stupid exam," Sasuke said in an exasperated tone.

"Sakura-chan! I think he just said Konohamaru's trapped in a well and we need to go save him!" Naruto gasped, feigning fearful worry.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in annoyance, ignoring the quiet laughter from Sakura, Eevee, and even Charmeleon.

Sensing the Uchiha's discomfort, and wanting to forestall any conflict before the important day, Ralts took the initiative and whacked her partner in the back of the head.

When Naruto looked back at her in surprise, she crossed her little arms and gave him her best stinkeye, which still ended up being rather cute, but Naruto did get the message.

"Okay, I get it," He said sheepishly. "No more teasing the T... Sasuke today."

Ralts nodded firmly at his correction, then turned a happy smile at the smirking Uchiha.

"You are so whipped," Sasuke snickered.

"You're just jealous that your fans aren't as cute as Ralts-chan," Naruto replied with a superior sniff. "Not to say Sakura-chan isn't really pretty though..." he added with a wink her way.

"Whatever Dobe. Let's just head inside before Sakura decides which comment you deserve to get hit for more," Sasuke suggested.

Naruto heard the familiar sound of popping knuckles popping, and rushed the door. "Good idea Teme, let's get going!" He called back.

Sasuke chuckled at his escape, until he realized Sakura was laughing too. He looked back at her to find her watching him fondly.

"What? Not gonna pound him?" He asked.

"Nah, not today. We've still got an exam to win," she replied, her smile turning a bit sharp. "Besides, even you have to admit he has a point about 'Sasukese'."

"Hmph," Sasuke grunted in response as he led the way inside.

"Oh Sasuke-kun, you say the sweetest things!" Sakura cooed at him teasingly.

* * *

They caught up to Naruto in the central stairwell of the building.

He stood on the bottom landing, leaning against the wall within clear sight of the door, frowning as he watched a team from Kusa climb the steps chatting animatedly.

"Thanks for waiting for us," Sakura said, wanting to reassure him that she wasn't going to attack him or anything, though she was surprised that they caught up to him before reaching the room they had to turn in the forms in.

"Sure thing Sakura-chan," he replied in his normal voice, though his expression didn't change, and he held a hand up, displaying their hand signal for silence.

"Something's weird about these stairs.," Naruto whispered the moment the door clicked shut behind the foreign ninja.

"Weird how? Sakura asked, eying the innocuous stairway.

"I dunno, it just doesn't feel right..." naruto tried to explain. "It doesn't look right when people walk up 'em either." He demonstrated by climbing up to the next floor's landing and back to his team.

Sakura and Sasuke watched him, noticing what he meant. Once he was there it seemed normal, but the angle of movement was odd when he was moving, at least when viewed from a stationary position.

"What do you think?" Sasuke asked Sakura when Naruto had returned.

"Me?" Sakura squeaked in response. Sasuke-kun was asking her opinion!

"You are the most tactically minded person on our team. Plus, you've been learning genjutsu recently, right?" Sasuke noted.

"Genjutsu? Yeah... Oh! You're right, this must be a variation of the 'False Surroundings Technique'! ...But why would it be here? Could it be part of the test?" Sakura wondered.

"More likely some of the competition trying to thin out the opposition. If the Dobe could see through it, it can't be that strong," Sasuke reasoned.

"Well... I didn't really 'see' through it, so much as I 'crashed' though it." Naruto replied, ears tinting red from embarrassment.

Sasuke and Sakura shared a look before the pinkette prompted him to explain.

"I was kinda excited... so I jumped up there," he said, pointing to what looked like the third floor landing.

"An' I hit the stairs right about there," he finished, pointing to where the staircase continued on almost directly above his head.

"Leave it to you to 'dumb luck' your way through the first obstacle," Sasuke snickered, accepting that the flawed nature of the illusion was just to give the genin a chance to pass what was probably an unofficial test, since slamming into it should have dispelled a weak one.

"Hey! Long as we beat it, what's it matter how we did?" Naruto argued.

"Naruto's right," Sakura agreed, "But we should get out of here before someone else comes in. We don't want to accidentally help someone who might eliminate us later."

The group made their way to the fourth landing before they heard a door open beneath them and indignant shouts assaulted their ears.

"Release me at once!" A boisterous boy was demanding. "I must go teach those unyouthful bullies not to strike my beloved teammates! We will show them the reddest flames of our righteous anger!"

"Ty! Ty, ty, rogue. Reh. Rogue!" agreed the boy's pokemon, miming an impressive combination of punches and kicks.

"Lee! Calm down! I'm not hurt, it was all a plan, remember?" The female ordered, shaking the boy roughly to get his attention.

"I... of course Tenten-san. I am sorry. I forgot the plan in my most unyouthful anger," Lee apologized, bowing his head in shame.

"Reh." Tyrogue stated, pulling a face towards the door they had just exited.

"It was your own plan," replied the third person, his voice full of scorn and disapproval.

"And it was a good plan," Interjected Tenten. "Did you see how many people got involved in that argument? If even half of them don't notice the proctor's genjutsu, we'll have cut the competition by a lot."

"An irrelevant concern," replied the unpleasant boy. "Those losers would fail without our efforts. They are failures, and will continue to be so, even without our interference."

"Snee!" Agreed his pokemon, rubbing it's blade-like claws together with a vicious grating sound.

He smiled cruelly at the pokemon and turned to ascend the stairs.

Neji paused when he noticed Team Seven watching from the next landing up, and a cold look settled onto his features.

"Identify yourselves!" He demanded imperiously.

"It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking someone else's," Sasuke replied, stepping to the top step and preventing Naruto from introducing himself.

Neji's eyes narrowed with anger. "You're just a rookie, aren't you?"

"Even if I am, I'm not obligated to answer," Sasuke replied blandly, though he felt like smirking at the obvious displeasure in the rude Hyuuga's nearly colorless eyes.

Neji activated his dojutsu, a brief flicker that was barely noticeable, save for the bulge of veins and chakra coils around his eyes, and he sneered victoriously.

"I don't need your answer, Sasuke Uchiha," he taunted, having easily identified the rival clan's crest on Sasuke's shirt. "I now know everything I need to about you. Rookie of the year in a class with only nine graduates... First among a class of failures, one might say."

"Perhaps, but I already know everything I need to about you as well, Hyuuga," Sasuke countered confidently.

"Unlikely," Neji replied coldly. "I would be surprised if you even knew my name."

"What possible reason would I have to care about the name of a lowly branch member?" Sasuke replied with a superior air.

Rage slid into Neji's eyes like burning oil into a pond, a level of anger that Sasuke had seen in his own eyes innumerable times, when he looked into the mirror and saw his brother's coal black eyes looking back from his own face.

Neji blinked, and just like that the rage froze over, forcing it deep inside to become a festering hatred.

"Come. We have wasted enough time here," he commanded his team, once more as calm and stoic as any Hyuuga could wish to be.

"I would like to remain behind a moment... but please, proceed without me," Lee requested.

"No. I will not allow you to risk our entry into the exams with one of your ridiculous challenges," Neji replied icily. "It will be easy enough to determine which of you is the bigger loser based on the results of the actual examination."

Neji stalked up the stairs, intending to shoulder aside the impertinent Uchiha who stood atop them.

Just before he could make good on that intention, Sasuke slid aside, and Neji, who'd been expecting him to resist, stumbled.

"Careful," Sasuke warned cockily. "Wouldn't want the proud Hyuuga to trip over his own feet."

Neji looked up at him, byakugan active and in a tone colder than Haku's jutsu gave his own warning.

"Pray that we do not meet again in the course of these exams, Uchiha. If we do, I will teach you why you should care to know my name. It will not be a pleasant lesson for you."

Neji rudely stormed by the remaining members of Team Seven, and despite his exposed back, Sasuke could still feel the glare upon him.

He simply smirked at the retreating Hyuuga and called it a win.

Neji's pokemon tried it's own intimidation tactic on Charmeleon, but the fire type sent the sneasel scurrying after it's partner with a blast of fire.

"I apologize for my teammate's most unyouthful attitude," the green-clad boy said, bowing formally to Sasuke, though his eyes kept drifting towards his pink haired teammate. His pokemon duplicated his act contrition, and presumably the peace making intention, towards Charmeleon, with considerably more focus.

"Neji's... been a bit unbearable lately," the kunoichi added, nodding towards the team casually. "In fact, we really shouldn't keep him waiting..." She grabbed Lee and dragged him after her up the stairs, a necessity since he kept trying to pause and call back to Sakura.

"What a jerk," Naruto muttered. That guy had to be twice the teme that the Teme was. At least.

"I'd heard the Uchiha and Hyuuga didn't get along, but I never thought it was that bad," Sakura remarked, trying to ignore the way the one with the strange look and freaky eyebrows kept trying to catch her eye.

"It usually isn't... wasn't," Sasuke replied. "That guy's just full of himself. Probably didn't like the fact that he can't push us around." Nothing in Sasuke's voice or posture hinted that he recognized the hypocrisy of his statement.

"But he was right about one thing," Sasuke continued. "We aren't going to win anything standing around here. Let's get to the exam room."

He resumed his walk up the stairs and his team fell in behind him.

It would take more than a weak genjutsu and a pissy Hyuuga to shake Team Seven's determination.

* * *

They entered a crowded room after meeting with Kakashi in the hallway. He'd given them a short pep talk, during which he explained that if any of the three genin hadn't arrived, that the whole team would have been dropped immediately.

Not that there had been any actual fear of that. The team had worked hard, and busted more ass than a booby-trapped bathroom, to get ready for these exams, and Kakashi was one hundred percent confident that they were ready...

Even if he knew the other three teams led by his friends had also ramped up their training in response.

While Naruto and Ralts were distracted by the horde of tough looking competitors, scores of Ninja and pokemon, every one of which was a threat simply due to their presence, they were attacked.

Naruto felt the carrier on his back lighten as Ralts was lifted out of it, an instant before his body locked up.

"Shadow Possession jutsu: complete." Shikamaru muttered in his eternally bored manner.

"Sorry guys, Ino really needed us to help out," Chouji apologized sincerely. Ralts could sense hope and nervous anticipation from the gentle giant and decided not to fight her way back to Naruto, but she did ready herself to attack if necessary.

"I will never tell her." Naruto growled between clenched teeth. Would that harpy never leave him alone?

"That's totally fine, because I wasn't planning to ask anymore," Ino replied, walking into his line of sight. "I even talked to Mom, and she agreed to stop asking too. You should be grateful."

"Then why the heck have you been chasing me around all month?" Naruto asked in annoyance.

"Cause you kept running away!" Ino fired back. "I just wanted to apologize and you made it such a damn hassle!"

"Fine, you apologized. I forgive you. We done now?" Naruto replied. Behind him, both her team and his snickered at how easily he took the wind from her sails.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no!" Ino growled, grabbing the boy by his collar and dragging his face to hers. "You are not just gonna blow me off! Not after the effort I put into this!" She said angrily, shaking him as she did.

"Could you two hurry it up? People are starting to stare..." Shikamaru asked from an awkward stance. When Ino had grabbed Naruto and yanked him around, the Nara had been pulled along for the ride.

Ino glowered at her teammate, but set Naruto back on his feet.

She then retrieved a plain looking folder from her pouch and cleared her throat pointedly.

Shikamaru sighed and grumbled under his breath, but held his hands out as if to accept the folder, and Naruto mimicked him, bound as he was by the jutsu.

Satisfied, Ino spoke an obviously practiced speech. "Naruto, I'm sorry I acted like such a bad friend, especially since you'd just given us those awesome gifts. I already promised not to keep asking, but since I upset you so much, I wanted to give you this to make up for it."

To Naruto, she sounded sincere, and once she'd placed the folder in his hands, Shikamaru released the jutsu with a mutter about 'troublesome blondes.'

"I hope you appreciate it..." Ino said a bit nervously. "It wasn't easy to get, and I had to get help from Daddy and Hughes-san... And I guess I should admit that Forehead gave me the idea."

"Um... That's cool an' all, but what is it?" Naruto asked, inspiring an annoyed twitch from Ino, who really wanted to see his face when he found out.

"Would that not be most easily determined by opening it and seeing for yourself?" Pointed out Shino, as he and his team joined the other rookies.

Naruto opened to the first page, an official looking document similar to the one he'd had to fill out as part of his official acceptance into Konoha's ninja forces. This one had many lines filled in with black bars though, apparently censored by the Intelligence department.

But the top line stood out as bright as if someone had aimed a spotlight right at it. Two words in big bold letters: Kushina Uzumaki.

"Mom..." Naruto whispered, his eyes watering with emotion. "Ino, how did you get this?"

"You'd be surprised what you can do when your Daddy is a clan head and high in Konoha's T&I department..." Ino explained. "And like I said, Hughes-san helped, he was excited to, once he knew what I wanted it for, so you might want to thank him too, next time you see him."

This has to be the best present ever!" Naruto replied excitedly. "Thank you so much!"

"Hey now, don't get all teary-eyed yet. There's better stuff in there," Ino answered, turning to a two page spread that she'd set up earlier so they would have maximum effect.

Right in front of Naruto's eyes were the front pages of the two most valuable documents in the folder, or at least from Ino's perspective.

Fittingly, they were the first and last chronologically. Specifically: The entrance documentation from when she became a genin, and the retirement forms from when she left the service.

They were also two of the few reports to have full color photos attached.

One one side, Kushina's genin photo, a plump faced girl with bright red hair grinned hugely at the camera, holding a victory sign with one hand and proudly framing her headband with the other.

On the other was her retirement photo. In that picture she had grown into the beautiful young woman Kakashi-sensei had described her as. The fact that he arms were crossed over her barely swollen belly and a petulant pout on her face did little to detract from her looks.

"She's related to Naruto, no doubt there," Sakura remarked, looking over her teammate's shoulder to see the pictures.

"You think that's proof? Check this out," Ino replied, pointing to the ambitions section of the genin page, which was really more of a questionnaire for their sensei's benefit.

"My dream is to become the first female Hokage! Dattebane!" Ino read out for her.

"That... is kinda creepy..." Sakura said.

"Tell me about it. She even listed her hobby as pranking and her favorite food as ramen!" Ino continued. It was like Naruto was a smaller, blond Kushina.

Kiba started snickering, an evil glint in his eye.

"W-what's so funny?" Hinata asked, in a tone that was her weak attempt at a reprimand. She was trying to become more forward, but it was slow going.

Plus, she really, really wished she'd thought to give Naruto-kun such a sweet and unique gift. She had considered trying to find his father's information for him, but unfortunately the only clues visible, even to her byakugan was the censored 'Marital status' section, which would only be blacked out if she were married, and the 'reason for retirement' section, which claimed she was only doing it because 'Nato-kun insisted, for the baby's safety'.

She had also edited the line to read 'Reason for _Temporary_ retirement'.

"Naruto's got his mom's hobby, his mom's tastes, even his mom's dreams..." Kiba explained though his laughter. "It's like he's been a mama's boy his whole life and never knew!"

Shikamaru and Chouji, chuckled at how red Naruto's face turned at that, and Even Sasuke had a tiny smile at the Dobe's discomfort, though it was easily missed, he had been a bit of a mother's boy too afterall.

"Ugh. Shows what you boys know," Ino said, glaring at her teammates. "I think it's really sweet. Like she was there with him, even if he couldn't see her."

"Ino's right," agreed Sakura. "You don't see Sasuke-kun or Hinata laughing, and they know what it's like to miss a parent. So grow up, this is really special for Naruto."

"Aw, I was just jokin' around," Kiba replied. He did have a parent to miss too, but really, his father had just run for the hills after some argument with his Mom. "Besides, I'd be a mama's boy too if mine looked like her. She was a total babe!" he added, pointing at her retirement photo.

Hinata subtly jyuuken tapped her teammate in the side for that remark.

"H-he means that she's l-lovely, Naruto-kun," Hinata said shyly.

"Thanks, Hinata," Naruto replied with a sunny smile, causing the girl to turn redder than he had been when Kiba teased him.

"Not to interrupt the festive occasion, but you should really be taking this more seriously," suggested a silver haired, spectacled genin, who looked like a dirty look might be enough to defeat him.

"What makes you think we aren't?" Sasuke asked the unknown leaf ninja coolly.

'Well, you might be..." admitted the shifty looking person. "But to them, you are being a bit frivolous..." he gestured to the room full of ninja warily.

Naruto looked up from the folder and stared at the horde for a moment before returning to his reading. "Eh, seen meaner," he said with a shrug.

"Really? I'm not sure if I should be impressed or afraid of you, if that's the case," the boy chuckled with apparent worry.

"Who are you anyway?" Shikamaru asked suspiciously. "Comrades or not, we're still opponents in the exam, so why do you want to help us?"

"Oh, I never did introduce myself, how rude of me," he said in embarrassment. "My name is Kabuto Yakushi, and to be honest, I was hoping you might be able to help me out too, if we run across each other during the tests I mean."

"The tests aren't really designed with support types like me in mind, so I figured since we're all Leaf ninja, a bit of 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' couldn't hurt?" Kabuto continued.

"You've taken the exams before?" Sakura inquired.

Seven times now," Kabuto mumbled in a depressed voice. "I've never even made it to the finals..."

"Damn, you must suck!" Kiba exclaimed.

"But I bet you know a lot about how the exams work..." Sasuke remarked, with a sly expression.

"And about the competition too," Kabuto agreed proudly. "I may not be much good in a fight, but I'm an expert medic-nin, and my information gathering is second to none, at least among genin."

"Wait, Yakushi? Are you related to Doctor Yakushi?" Sakura asked in recognition.

"Yes, he's my father... well, adopted father," Kabuto replied. "Do you know of him?"

"Yeah, we met him with Elisa was born," Naruto replied absently. "He was pretty cool, for a doctor an' all."

"He is a great man," Kabuto agreed fondly. "He taught me all of my medical techniques."

"Well, I say we help him out," Sakura decided. "As long as it doesn't hurt our chances, I don't see any reason not to."

"I dunno, I ain't buyin' it," Kiba disagreed. "What's he got that we could possibly need?"

"I'm with the mutt," Ino agreed. "How do we know he has anything worth knowing?"

"I could always give you a sample," Kabuto suggested. "If you like what I have to say, then we can cut a deal."

"That seems equitable," Shino stated.

Seeing that no one was going to object, Kabuto pulled out a thick deck of cards from his pocket.

"These are my Ninja Info cards," he explained. "They're a form of sealing jutsu, but instead of holding kunai, gear, or things of that nature, they're imprinted with a pattern that only reacts to my chakra."

He channeled a bit of energy into the card, and a representation of the Elemental Kingdoms appeared, with transparent columns raising from it's surface.

It showed the home villages of the competitors, most of which were from the villages of Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, and Sound, with a smattering of smaller villages.

Kabuto talked a bit about the exam's role in maintaining the balance of power among the ninja countries, but stuff like that wasn't really a point of interest for the genin.

"Do you have information on the contestants themselves?" Sasuke asked, when Kabuto looked to them for a decision.

"Well, yeah," Kabuto admitted. "But I'm not just going to give something like that away for free. I want at least some assurance before I start sharing valuable information."

"And if we won't agree to help you, someone else might, and if they want info on us..." Shikamaru implied leadingly.

"Afraid so," Kabuto admitted uneasily.

"Then it would seem that you have us in a situation where assisting you is in our best interests as well..." Shino mused.

"Unless we just burn those stupid cards..." Kiba pointed out, growling threateningly, which was picked up by both Akamaru and Cranidos in an odd example of surround sound.

"Which will be useless if he has another deck," Shikamaru countered. "And he'd probably make our information his new sample, just out of spite."

"Which explains why he came here first," Sakura noted. "We're the only large group obviously talking together, so if one of us accepts his offer, it's almost a given that we all will, just to stay even."

"I also expected you would be smart enough to realize that," Kabuto affirmed. It was tough to put one over on a Nara, add the Uchiha, Hyuuga, and Aburame in the mix and it became nearly impossible.

"So he's a devious little bastard who isn't giving us much choice except to work with him," Sasuke remarked. "Sounds like a perfectly viable strategy for an espionage type ninja."

"You can't seriously be saying you approve of this joker?" Said Kiba in surprise.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Chouji quoted.

"Or at least a useful tool," Shikamaru replied.

"I'm in, Sasuke said. "And I know just the person to ask about. Give me everything you have on Neji Hyuuga."

Kabuto shared everything he knew about the branch house prodigy, and like Sakura predicted, all three teams took him up on his offer.

Naruto asked about the redhead from Suna, and summarily blew off his paltry B-rank achievement.

Since her teammates had both made a request, and she hadn't met any of the opposition outside of the leaf, Sakura requested information on Ino, who retaliated by doing the same to her rival.

Shikamaru decided it would be too troublesome to ask about anyone before they knew about the tests to come, and Chouji followed his lead.

Shino requested a list of ninja who specialized in techniques that would be detrimental to his colony, while Hinata couldn't decide on a good question and chose to wait too.

Kiba, in a rare moment of tactical brilliance, asked which teams would be the best targets for the rookies.

"Well, that's actually a pretty tough one to answer," Kabuto replied thoughtfully, staring at the first card as if it would have the solution for him.

"Stop makin' excuses and answer the question!" Kiba demanded. He still didn't trust this guy, but he'd be damned if he wasn't gonna grab any advantage he could get.

"It's not an excuse," Kabuto replied defensively. "There's almost a hundred teams here, and I can't be expected to know everything about them all on the top of my head."

Kabuto thought a bit more while Kiba grew more annoyed by the second.

'Alright. The easiest way would be a breakdown by village," the medic decided. "Starting with Konoha, who has the most entrants, you'll have a hard time picking a weak team at random, but we're likely the one with the most. A lot of jounin will have entered their students too soon, thinking that a local exam will be safe, but there are also plenty of repeat entrants who's sensei just held them back from the other exams for the same reason. Sorry, but that's the best I can advise there."

"Sand on the other hand is easy. They're in the middle of a serious financial crisis, so they can't afford a bad showing in front of the final exam guests, who will be some of the biggest hiring names in the Elemental kingdoms. You should expect every Suna team to be strong. They'd only send the cream of the crop this time."

"Grass is another tough call. They send genin to every exam, so if nothing else, they'll probably be experienced. Whether they have the strength to profit from that experience is a whole other matter, since they tend to promote quantity over quality."

"You can expect Rain ninja to be average at best. Hanzo only sends his weakest genin to the exams, and only so their jounin can scope out the host village. However, Rain is a militaristic, isolationist village, so don't expect anyone from there to be a pushover. Their regular genin forces are as strong as most chunin."

"Waterfall, like Sand, is an ally of Konoha. They're one of the smallest villages, and seem to be on the decline of late. However, Village success isn't very telling in regards to the individual, so don't underestimate them."

"In fact, if I were to suggest a target, I'd have to say Sound is your best bet. They're a small village that only recently sprang up, and this is their first exam attendance. While they're still an unknown overall, they're bound to be inexperienced."

Kabuto listed a few of the lesser villages with entrants, none who had sent more than two teams, but before he could finish, the sound of steel drew their attention.

Ralts shouted her name, and nearly two dozen senbon froze in the air, bells hanging limply from a number of them.

Kin looked surprised at how easily her attack had been stopped, but her task of distracting the ninja had been successful.

Attacking from another angle, his own hostility hidden in the vast sea of violent emotions emanating from the now keyed up examinees, Zaku launched a fistful of kunai at the bastard who'd insulted his village.

Said bastard dodged away faster than most of the other leaf ninja even noticed the attack in progress, but Dosu had expected as much and planned for it. If nothing else, this Kabuto had to be skilled at saving his own hide, just to survive seven exams in a row.

What he didn't expect was a girl in a dark blue cloak getting in his face an instant before he could make his attack.

She grabbed his arm just past the elbow and held his slash back, smiling slightly as she faced him.

Her hand on his arm was pale to the point of translucency, and the hood of her cloak had slipped from the speed of her movement, revealing short, light blue hair framing what would have been a cute face, if not for the blindfold obscuring most of it.

"Did you have to get involved, Kaeru? It was just getting interesting," a cold voice put in from where a pair of identically cloaked boys leaned against the nearby wall.

Rather than answer, she gripped Dosu's sleeve tightly and pulled it back, revealing his unusual weapon.

"Ah... well then," the thinner of the two boys said, stepping over to inspect it, humming casually in interest.

Dosu ripped his arm back, and slid his sleeve back down, glaring at the blindfolded girl with his one eye.

"Why did you interfere?" He growled menacingly.

"We are indebted to one of those who made a pact of support with Yakushi-san," Kaeru replied cocking her head towards him, obviously listening intently.

"You are?" Kabuto asked in surprise.

"Of course," the third boy replied, joining the group himself, lowering his own hood with a nod towards the group. "And ninja of Nakagakure always repay our debts."

"I remember you!" Naruto exclaimed. "You're that Shoe Guy Roy who wanted directions!"

"Shoe Guy Roy?" Shugorei repeated indignantly, ignoring Kaeru's giggle at his disbelief.

"You know... I'm sure we could make that work," mused the still hooded boy. "There are records of a kunoichi who specialized in killing men with her poisoned stiletto heels..."

"Shut up, Ao," Shugorei replied. "I'm not changing my style just because the kid mispronounced my name."

"Of course not. He'll take up candy making like that guy who thought his name was Sugar Ray suggested," Kaeru added.

"I hate you all," Shugorei complained grumpily. "I swear, when I take my chosen name, it's going to be something simple. Like Tai, or Ash, or something else monosyllabic. There'll be no more confusion then."

No one cares about your damn name!" Zaku shouted as he joined the discussion. "All we care about is teaching trash talking little shits like that not to disrespect our village!" he declared, jabbing an accusing finger at Kabuto.

"I'd tell you to make a note that we Sound ninja will definitely be chunin by the end of the exams, but I don't think you'll be needing those cards for much longer..." Kin added in a sweetly threatening tone. "In fact, I doubt you'll even need to worry about the chunin exams ever again..."

A glance around the room revealed how serious a threat that was, for all of the teams from Sound were leveling glares at the silver haired genin.

Even worse, some of the more predatory of their pokemon were eying him the way an Akimichi might a nice side of beef.

Not that Kabuto or any of the ninja around him noticed, but there was one disguised sound ninja not having evil thoughts centered around Konoha medic ninja.

Hers were too tied up with the information that interrupted her oogling of tall, dark and brooding... Karin wasn't the only Uzumaki left in her world anymore.

Before she could come to grips with that revelation, there was an explosion of smoke and a full platoon of ninja appeared in the front of the room.

"My name is Ibiki Morino, and I am the proctor for the first phase of these exams," declared a huge scar-faced man.

"Remember my name, and memorize my face, because by the time I'm through with you, I will be the ruler by which you measure your nightmares," he promised menacingly.

"As for you jokers from Sound, there will be no fighting during the exams without proctor approval. This is your first, last and only warning, but you are the only ones even receiving that much. Any ninja who even thinks of disobeying me will be disqualified immediately, as will their teammates."

Dosu and his team stepped away from the group, but not without one last growled threat towards him and the Nakagakure ninja.

"Very well, if there are no more interruptions, we will begin the first stage of the exams," Ibiki said, looking over the genin critically. "This will be a written test assessing your knowledge as a ninja, so no pokemon will be permitted in attendance."

"My assistants will escort you by teams to the test room," Ibiki said, gesturing to the ninja with him. "You will be required to turn your forms and pokemon over to them in exchange for one of these," he said, holding up a square tile with a number on it. "This will determine your seating for the duration of the first exam."

"When you are ready to proceed, come forward and speak to one of these ninja," Ibiki said, before turning to leave the room.

"Waitaminute!" Called Naruto. "Why're you takin' our pokemon away!"

Ibiki looked back over his shoulder, sweeping his gaze over the assembled genin, noting who seemed to bear similar sentiments to the boy.

"As I said: This is a test of your own knowledge and ability, not your pokemon's." Ibiki explained. "That being the case, there's no reason for them to be stuck sitting around in a stuffy room for an hour or more. We have an area set aside in which they will be perfectly comfortable, but if you would rather not comply, you can easily leave and try again in six months."

"What if our pokemon aren't with us?" another genin asked.

"Then I suggest you bring them out. This is a rule, not a request," Ibiki answered, turning to leave once more.

"And if we have no pokemon at all?" Ao asked brazenly interrupting his exit again.

"Then your forearms will be inspected to ensure that you really are a hitori-nin," Ibiki answered without turning around.

"Well, that will be interesting..." Shugorei remarked.

"Won't it though?" Ao agreed, white teeth flashing in a grin within the deep blue darkness of his cowl.

* * *

Most of the genin were arranged in a large tiered classroom when Shugorei's team entered. Ao took his seat near the back while Shugorei guided Kaeru to the place furthest from the windows, before moving over to his own. All three ignored the odd looks their escort sent Ao as he took one of the chairs around the perimeter.

He looked over the room, locating his blond haired benefactor and the rest of his rookie friends, as well as the redheaded jinchuuriki and the aggressive sound ninja.

He took his seat and settled back to watch the fun. Information was a large part of what Nakagakure thrived on, and they knew that if Ibiki Morino was part of things, it was bound to be interesting.

* * *

Naruto was a bit nervous... okay, a lot nervous. This was the furthest he'd been from Ralts since her hatching, and he was preparing for what might be the the most important written test he'd ever encountered.

But he wasn't that same ignorant kid he'd been in the academy.

Iruka-sensei had been hammering everything he could imagine Naruto needing into his head for the past month.

History, math, tactics, jutsu theory, all of it, so if he wasn't ready to pass this test now, it was pretty likely that he never would be, and that was inconceivable.

And it did make him feel a little better that he could look out the huge windows and see Ralts-chan in the fenced off field just outside, being overseen by more ninja, just in case.

When all the genin were seated, Ibiki nodded to his assistants and two stood on opposite sides of each row, materializing a stack of papers from somewhere and starting across the class.

Naruto looked up as the closer man placed a paper before the kunoichi next to him, some redheaded grass ninja with glasses who kept looking at him from the corner of her eye.

The guy with the papers skipped Naruto, placing his next form in front of the Rain ninja in pajamas on his other side.

Naruto considered raising a stink, but noticed that the pattern had been inverted on the next row down, and inverted again on the one below that, so it looked like a big checkerboard, a few rows down and to his right he saw Sakura-chan receive hers, and look to her blank-desked neighbors curiously.

His patience paid off when the man coming from the opposite side reached him and placed one of his tests in front of Naruto.

When the assistants finished, they sat in the chairs their opposite had vacated and stared over the genin. Or at least that's what most of them did. A couple were actually blindfolded, and it was kinda creepy to think of them watching him...

As soon as they were seated, Ibiki tapped the blackboard with a piece of chalk to get the room's attention.

He explained the complicated rule system he had decided on, which Naruto had to admit he only bothered memorizing the important parts: The test is scored backwards for some weird reason, if he failed Sakura-chan and the Teme were gonna kill him, and if he got caught cheating he'd be royally screwed.

Oh, and he really really had to get at least one question right... or he'd kill the whole team's chances.

Naruto flipped his paper over hesitantly and looked over the questions... and the more he read through the questions, the more his heart sank.

He leaned back and crossed his arms, frowning as he stared at the blank paper and it's nearly impossible questions.

The strange redhead kept glancing at him with a puzzled expression, but she didn't try talking to him, and so Naruto ignored her, turning the test over in his mind.

Problem: He needed to answer at least one question correctly in order to pass.

Problem: He couldn't make heads or tails of a single question on the whole thing.

Problem: If he got caught cheating, he would lose points and need even more correct answers, unless he got caught too much, in which case he would lose immediately.

Solution: ...either suck it up and fail, or find a way to cheat where he couldn't get caught.

"_How the heck am I supposed to cheat without gettin' caught?"_ Naruto thought frustratedly. It wasn't like he had any neat info gathering skills... well, the Shadowclone was pretty neat, but that would get him caught for sure.

"_Cheat at what?" _Ralts asked innocently.

"_This stupid test," _Naruto replied. '"_I can't answer any of the questions, but I gotta get one or I'll fail, an' if I fail then Sakura-chan an' Sasuke will too."_

"_Are you worried about them?" _Ralts asked.

"_What? About them failing?" _Naruto replied. "_No way! Sakura-chan's really smart, an' the Teme will probably just cheat with his freaky eye jutsu or somethin'."_

He sensed amusement through the connection, and his link with Ralts magnified.

It was an odd feeling, like a balloon within his mind expanding outward, passing through him like a shadow through glass. It continued spreading, giving Naruto a small glimpse at the emotions of every person it passed.

Curiosity and a strange longing from the strange redhead.

Bravado underscored by worry from the pajama guy.

Feelings of worry and confidence, panic and smug superiority ran rampant through his mind, occasionally mingled with softer feelings, until an actual thought was permitted into the bubble of his awareness.

"_Dammit! How could it be this wrong? I copied him perfectly!" _Cursed Sasuke. But despite his perfection, there was no way some rant on kunai steel had anything to do with the diagrammed question on his test.

Almost immediately after, Sakura was brought into the mind link as well.

"_... way any more than a dozen people here could be up to answering these questions," _She was thinking. "_I mean, I'm barely this good, I doubt the boys would be able to even understand half of it..."_

"_Sakura?" _thought Sasuke, at the same time Naruto thought, _"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sakura-chan..."_

"_Naruto? Sasuke-kun? How are you... Ralts!" _Sakura thought in amazement.

"_How are you doing with the test?" _Sasuke asked when Sakura didn't continue immediately.

"_Not too bad," _She replied. _"The questions are difficult, but not impossible..."_

"_What was your answer for the first question?" _He asked further.

"_Just someone's opinion on how to tell good weapons from bad based on quality of the metal. I can read it to you if you need?"_

"_No, I got that already, but it's got nothing to do with the question on the test," _he replied frustratedly.

"_What do you mean? The first question is a cypher, and not even a very difficult one," _Sakura replied.

"_No, it's a diagram of a ninja in a tree, and wants us to figure out trajectories based on distance, angle and the like," _Sasuke countered.

"_That's mine too," _Naruto agreed.

"_Well, that's not mine at all..." _Sakura said thoughtfully. _"Could there be two tests?"_

"_That would explain why they handed em out the way they did... a hint that we need to be careful who we cheat from, if we want the right answer," _Sasuke reasoned.

"_That kinda makes sense," _Naruto added. _"These questions are all stuff that I don't think anybody really uses a lot. I sure don't think through all the junk they wanna know when I throw a kunai at somebody. They must want us to cheat, so they can test how sneaky we can be."_

"_And how accurately we can gather information, since half the tests are effectively decoys, not counting the ones that people just get wrong," _Sasuke agreed.

"_If that's the case, then I'm a bit worried about the last question," _Sakura replied. _"It's almost guaranteed that whatever it's supposed to be will be a lot more devious..."_

"_We'll beat that challenge when we reach it," _Sasuke replied confidently. _"Right now, someone who should have the same test as me is writing, I'm going to try copying from him. After that, if it fits the question, I'll send what I get from him over to the Dobe."_

"_Good idea," _Sakura replied. _"If he's further along than you, tell me and I'll help solve the ones you're missing. Let's finish this at the top, perfect scores all around!"_

"_We probably already have a perfect score for cheating, or would if they knew how we're doing it," _Sasuke replied smugly.

"_What can I say? Ralts-chan is just that awesome," _Naruto replied with overflowing pride.

* * *

By the forty-five minute mark, Team Seven had filled out all their tests completely, and had discussed possibilities for the 'surprise' that would be coming along with the tenth question. As a result, all three felt that they had the first phase pretty much in the bag.

Of course, not everything went predictably, most poignantly illustrated by the surprise visit they received from Ino, when she used one of her family jutsu on Sakura. Thankfully it had startled Ino as much as it had the team, and she collected the information she needed quickly, though she did complain about how unfair it was that 'Forehead can talk to Sasuke-kun whenever she wants".

Neither boy cared enough to mention that this was the first time Ralts had used such a trick.

Ibiki ceased his silent pacing and looked over the remaining genin, mildly impressed at the number that had managed to survive so far... but the tenth question, and it's accompanying risks, would take that number and mangle it.

"Alright, listen up!" Ibiki called from the front of the room, easily earning the attention of everyone in the room. "It is now time for the final question, but first... there is a new rule that you need to be aware of... This rule applies only to question ten, so you better pay attention."

"The rule is simple: You may decline to take the tenth question, however, if you do so, you instantly fail, with all the penalties that includes. If you refuse, your hopes, as well as your teammates', end here."

"However... should you take the tenth question and answer incorrectly... You will be barred from ever entering the chunin examinations again!" Ibiki declared boldly.

"That's bull!" Kiba roared in response. "Plenty of people took the exams before!"

"Yeah! You think the other villages will honor some crappy penalty just 'cause you Konoha jerks wanna throw your weight around?" A ninja from Grass objected as well.

"Well, I guess you're just unlucky," Ibiki replied with an evil laugh. "I wasn't making the rules before... and as to the other villages? Well, I guess you should have read your applications more carefully... Paragraph six, sentence four: 'The undersigned agrees to comply with all rules, penalties, or consequences determined by the proctors in the course of the examination." I am the proctor, I make the rules."

"If you didn't read, or consider the full implications of that sentence, then it's your own foolish mistake. No ninja squad leader should ever accept a mission without reading the contract and understanding what the client wants. Rookie mistakes like that will never slide on my watch."

"But don't worry, if you're not confident enough, you can always decline and go home..." He added leadingly.

Ibiki swept his gaze over the now nervous genin and smiled maliciously, one more push, and these brats would crack like ice in summer...

"Before you make your decision... there is one more penalty to consider..." Ibiki said. "The final question is the most important for any ninja to understand, not like those esoteric questions you had to answer for the first nine."

"In fact, it is my firm belief, that a ninja who is incapable of answering it correctly doesn't even deserve to be a ninja. The Hokage refused my choice of expulsion from the ninja program for the first penalty, so I added this second one, and got approval from someone else..."

"Any ninja who chooses to take the final question and fails, will not only be forbidden from attending promotion exams, but they will also be have their pokemon unbonded... permanently."

Shouts of denial filled the room, as almost every ninja argued against his ability to do something so extreme.

Silence fell when a tornado of flame taller than the building exploded into being in the center of the training field where the pokemon were waiting.

After a long moment, it cleared to reveal the full majesty of Moltres, towering above them like a golliath.

"I said I got approval," Ibiki remarked. "Suffice to say, the Legendary aligned with Konoha agrees with me as to this matter's importance."

"But there is some good news... I am now finished explaining the special circumstances for the tenth question. Any of you who aren't confident enough to continue, raise your hand and you will be marked off as the failures you are, after which, you may leave," Ibiki concluded.

"I... I don't wanna risk it," Said one depressed sounding shinobi, standing with his arm raised. "I just can't take that chance!"

"Number fifty, failed! Numbers seventy-three and ninety-two, also failed!" A sentry called out, sending the quitter and his teammates away.

"_What do I do?"_ Naruto thought in a panic. "_What do I do? What do I do?"_ Ralts had retracted the greater portion of her mental link after the team had finished their deliberations, but she could still speak with Naruto easily.

"_What is wrong?" _She asked, trying to comfort her partner.

"_This jerk's gonna try takin' you away!" _Naruto said in the mental equivalent of a near wail. "_He says the last questions so important that if anyone misses it, he'll take their pokemon away!"_

"_Is that why Moltres-sama is here?" _Ralts asked curiously. It was strange that she didn't sense anything of the sort from the Legendary firebird.

"_I think so..." _Naruto replied. "_Kakashi-sensei did say that it's almost impossible to break a bond... Maybe it's so important that he convinced Moltres to do it for him?"_

"_What could be that important to both ninja and pokemon?"_ Ralts wondered.

"_I... don't know..." _Naruto admitted. _"I don't wanna risk losing you, but I can't just let everybody down... Sakura-chan an' Sasuke are counting on me... and Iruka-sensei an' Kakashi-sensei both said we were as ready as we'd ever be..."_

"_Then you can do it," _Ralts replied comfortingly.

"_Then... I guess we got no choice," _Naruto sighed._ "Even if I quit, there's no guarantee it wouldn't be worse next time... but what if I fail?"_

"_Then we'll just have to fix things," _Ralts replied, sending Naruto a mental collage of the other nearly impossible things he'd done.

Because really, what was a proctor and his stupid rules in comparison to Konoha's Anbu, a quartet of ninja assassins and a guy with pockets deeper than the Valley of the End? Heck, even Tora was scarier than Scarface there... In fact, she's probably what gave him those scars, now that he considered it...

He came back to himself and noticed that more than half the room had emptied, and to his shock, he could see Sakura-chan's arm creeping up...

"_Why would she do that?" _He wondered? _"She's a genius, no way she'd fail... could she be worried about me?"_ He found that thought pleasant before it clicked that she was trying to give up, and the reason was largely irrelevant... he had to stop her! But how, when she couldn't see him behind her?

"_Tell Sakura-chan not to quit... unless she really is worried about herself," _Naruto asked of Ralts, who began trying to reestablish the connection with the pink-haired girl.

Not wanting to leave everything to Ralts, he decided it would be well advised to make some noise... One Uzumaki Special comin' up!

"You can take your rules and choke on 'em!" Naruto shouted, leaping onto his desk and pointing an accusing finger at the proctor. Never let it be said that Naruto Uzumaki ever did things halfway.

"I'm gonna take your stupid question, pass it and win this stupid exam! Ralts-chan is my family, and there ain't an Arceus-damned thing you can do to take her away! Dattebayo!"

Even if Ralts-chan hadn't gotten the message to Sakura yet, she and every other person in the room was staring at him like he'd grown another head.

"Are you certain about that?" Ibiki asked mildly. "You don't know what the question is, or even how difficult it can be. You might still fail, and then 'Ralts-chan' won't be with you anymore."

"That won't happen," Naruto swore, glaring at the man.

"You'd be surprised at the things that can happen in a ninja's life," Ibiki replied confidently. "What will you do if it does?"

"Then I'll get her back," Naruto promised. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it. An' when I do, we'll come back an' kick your ass for making me."

Ibiki let out a bark of laughter. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a single pokemon in the entire world?" He asked, ignoring the threat as the useless barking it seemed to be.

"Doesn't matter," Naruto replied with finality. "I made a promise, an' I never go back on my word. Ralts-chan's family lives on an island, an' I know where it is..." _"More or less... how hard can it be to find though?"_ Naruto added silently.

"Ah, an island..." And how will you reach this island?" Ibiki asked tauntingly.

"Water walking," Naruto replied.

"I think you underestimate the size of the ocean. You can't just walk across it like a river," Ibiki remarked, to a chorus of laughter from the people in the room who had a similar opinion.

"Then I'll build a bridge instead!" Naruto replied forcefully. What did it matter how he did it, as long as he did?

"That's even worse!" Ibiki replied, pointless though this argument was, it was entertaining. "You'd never be able to make one tall or long enough to cross the ocean."

Naruto growled in anger, this jerk was just trying to humiliate him... "Then if I can't do that I'll... I'll..."

"If he cannot do that, the he will swim! And I shall join him in his most youthful quest!" Shouted the green-clad weirdo from the stairwell, leaping to his feet and flashing a thumbs up and giant grin.

"Damn right, Bushy brows!" Naruto replied, glad for both the save and the vote of confidence.

"Have either of you even seen the ocean?" Ibiki asked incredulously. Seriously? Their ideas were simply impossible.

"B-boat!" Hinata squeaked, forcing herself to her feet, though she kept her eyes shut tight and her face lit up in embarrassment, but she couldn't just sit and watch Naruto-kun stand up to the bully. "W-we can b-buy a b-boat... and..."

"And we'll come too!" Kiba added, trying to help. "Shino was just tellin' me how much he needs to work on his tan!"

Every Konoha ninja in the room who knew Shino looked to him in a mix of wonder and fear.

"A fabricated claim, but I concur with his offer. The five of us will be much more capable of locating little Ralts-chan, than he would be alone," Shino said.

"Well, you can make that six!" Ino replied, "I'll get such a luscious tan that Sasuke will fall for me instantly!"

"Not if I do first, Ino-pig!" Sakura replied, bringing the total to seven.

"Hey, Dobe, You think Ralts will be able to teleport us to wherever our own pokemon are after you get her back?" Sasuke asked.

"Um... I dunno, but she's gotta have parents, and they might be able to..." Naruto replied thoughtfully.

"Good." Sasuke replied with a smirk. "I'm in, but I want a piece of the big guy there when we get back too."

"Consider it done," Naruto promised with a sly smile. "Same offer to anyone else who wants to join."

The next few minutes were an inversion of the previous few, with the genin falling in behind the blond brat's idea one by one.

It wasn't long before the genin supporting the 'retrieve pokemon and kick Ibiki's ass' faction outnumbered those who weren't worried from the start, with representatives of every village in the exams, including one of the Nakagakure ninja and a full team from Sound.

It quickly became obvious that his carefully planned scenario had been disrupted, though he did take some small pride in being the villain that inspired an alliance among so many disparate villages.

But despite that, it was apparent that the genin were through being manipulated. If he tried to push again, he might have a riot on his hands.

"Fine then, if you're all through posturing, we will move on with the exam itself. To those of you still here... Congratulations on passing the first exam." Ibiki said. There were a lot more than he'd prefer, but thankfully his statement seemed to shock the fight out of most of the genin.

"Wha...?" Naruto said eloquently.

"To put it simply," Ibiki explained. "The tenth question was: Will you give up when faced with a task of unknown difficulty that carries significant risk. Those who did, left, failing themselves and their teammates, while those who stayed, passed. There was never any actual risk, because the only way to fail the question was by refusing to take it..."

"I explained the purpose of this test to Moltres, and she agreed to help grant a measure of authenticity, and from your reactions, it seems to have worked."

"So... the last question tested... what exactly?" One of the ninja with Naruto asked.

"The most important trait a ninja can possess," Ibiki answered. "The determination to push on towards success no matter the risk. Those who will stand tall and never waver in the face of adversity, those who are truly needed to lead and elevate their villages to the peaks of their potential."

"Then the first nine were useless? A waste of time?" Temari asked.

"Not at all, they were to test your ability to gather knowledge under adverse circumstances. Those of you who were unable to cheat well, were weeded out, while those who chose the wrong targets to cheat from were penalized by being required to try again, since the tests were different enough that such mistakes should have been obvious."

Ibiki continued his explanation, pointing out the chunin in attendance who already had the answers, and explaining the value of information in the ninja society, and the risks inherent in being a chunin, and a leader of other ninja.

As he was winding down his speech, a giant ball of dark cloth smashed through the window, spinning through the air as two kunai flashed through the air and anchored it to the ceiling.

"Heads up brats! No matter how good you did for Ibiki-kun, you better be ready for the real deal now!" The strange and nearly naked woman revealed said boisterously. "My name's Anko Mitarashi, and I'm the proctor for the second phase of the exams!"

More distracting than the fishnet outfit she wore was the eight foot long black and gold snake wrapped twice around her waist, it's head lifted up to stare at the genin from her level and it's blade-like tail swinging at her side like a sword.

There was a flash of dim light from behind the cloth, which itself was nothing more than a large introduction for her, and hopefully not valuable, because a large portion of it simply ceased to exist, thanks to the flaming breath of a demonic looking canine.

"You're early... Again." Ibiki growled, scratching his Houndoom behind the horns idly, and ignoring the sulfurous stench of Houndoom's flames.

"Hey, how many did you let pass anyway? Are you off your game or something? I expected to have to wade in here through a lake of piss and tears," Anko replied, completely dismissing the reprimand as easily as she generally did. She and Kakashi had similar habits in that regard, a holdover from their time in Anbu when they were almost literally unpunishable by anyone less than the Hokage.

"They're just a bit more durable this time," Ibiki countered. "In fact, I think you'll find them very interesting."

"Oh?" Anko prompted.

"The loud blond one convinced them that they might need to 'kick my ass', if I took their pokemon away, as well as offering to help everyone get them back," Ibiki explained quietly.

"You're kidding?" Anko replied, eyes lit up with excitement. "Maybe this will be fun..." She purred.

"Alright brats, looks like you had it easy dealing with Ibiki's little test, but that ends tomorrow morning. I'll tell your squad leaders where to meet, so don't be late!" Anko ordered firmly. "For now, you might wanna go celebrate what little success you've already had, cause I promise more than half of you won't have a damn thing to be proud of by the end of the second phase! Dismissed!"

* * *

Omake: A Legendary Discussion

"The boy is obviously unstable!" Roared Entei. "How many pokemon must he murder before you see reason!"

"You misrepresent the boy's actions," Countered Rayquaza calmly. "To date, he has slain none but those who have threatened him first."

"A semantic difference," replied Latios. "You have seen into his soul, same as we. Already he takes pride in his ability to deal death to his adversaries."

"Perhaps it would be truer to say that he prides himself on surviving, when so many seek his death?" Reasoned Latias. "He does suffer from the same soul-madness that inflicts so many of Shukaku's jinchuuriki."

"And his life is a nightmare that even his sleepless state cannot dissuade," added Darkrai.

"All of these ninja lead nightmarish lives," argued Thundurus. "Must we excuse their every misdeed, simply because of their upbringing?"

"Better than punishing the boy for his father's transgressions!" shot back Cresselia.

"I have no qualms with repaying the boy's sire for his hubris as well!" replied Thundurus. "This sealing was a betrayal of both kin and home, all for the sake of his greed and pride!"

Arceus sighed as he looked upon the bickering Legendaries from his reclined position.

On rare occasions there arose a question of a ninja's acceptability as a possible partner, which sometimes became serious enough to attract the attention of multiple Legendaries.

When such conflicts arose, it was standard procedure to call those in disagreement before him and air their grievances so that he could mediate the issue and an equitable solution could be reached.

But this was a veritable civil war of opinions.

Jinchuuriki almost always caused some conflict, and had since their inception, but while many of the Legendaries were against the practice of creating them, the biju had spurned all attempts at creating an alliance, even when Arceus itself sought them out with the offer.

And so the sealing of said biju remained a matter between them and humanity, for better or worse.

But while jinchuuriki were almost a matter of contention, this Gaara was a more significant one than most.

A jinchuuriki who had begun killing, admittedly in self defense, before he was even old enough to enter the ninja's academy was a bit concerning.

Arguments regarding his acceptability had begun even before his formal training, and only intensified as he moved inexorably towards graduation.

And so, here they were, watching through one of Arceus' windows as Gaara sat sullenly upon a pillar of sandstone, staring at the barest crescent of moon that rose above the desert.

One hand rested listlessly upon the golden plate in his lap, as if he expected it to vanish any moment. and wasn't certain if he should try and prevent it.

Only a silent minority remained neutral in the dispute, though an equal number simply disdained to attend the convocation.

Nearly three quarters of the Legendaries however, chose a side in the dispute, defending their view stubbornly, and at this point a consensus was impossible.

Knowing that the group could argue this way for most of eternity, and not wanting to be forced to witness such, Arceus stood, causing a respectful hush to fill the demiplane he called home.

"We have discussed this subject for years, as humans recon time, and could continue to do so far beyond the boy's natural lifespan, or even beyond the lifetime of his very world... I for one, have no wish to endure such a tedious fate."

A number of pokemon from all three sides nodded their accord with this statement.

"I therefor propose arbitration. I will choose a represenative from the neutral party, whom I feel most qualified to decide this matter. If you as a collective approve my choice, then you must abide by their decision. Is this acceptable?" Arceus asked.

The agreement was unanimous.

"Mewtwo, with Genesect's absence, you are the only one who truly understands the jinchuuriki, will you act as arbiter in this matter?" Arceus requested of the pokemon who had been silent but attentive for the duration of the debate. He had never chosen a side, which was his standard practice in matters concerning jinchuuriki.

His decisions regarding humans, on the other hand...

_"I will,"_ Mewtwo replied telepathically, another typical habit, for he had never liked the sound of physical speech, a remnant of his time sealed helpless in a lab and spoken of as if he were a mere curiosity.

"Those in favor of the boy's partnering: Let any who objects to this choice speak now," Arceus ordered solemnly.

None objected. Mewtwo was made as a weapon, and had acted in a manner not dissimilar to Gaara's not long after his escape from his creator.

"Those against the boy's partnering: Let any who objects to this choice speak now," Arceus repeated after a long moment.

None objected. Mewtwo was well known for hating all threats to Poke-kind, and for dealing with such threats in a decisive and often permanent manner.

"Very well. Mewtwo, what is your decision in this matter?" Arceus asked.

Mewtwo stared silently through the window towards the lonely boy.

_"The humans who created him, intended him to be a weapon. They raised him to be a blade with no hilt, a bomb with a trigger they could not diffuse. And when they realized that they cannot wield their weapon, they sought to destroy it," _Mewtwo said, and despite his monotone mind-voice, there was some empathy in him for the situation Gaara was born to.

_"Their attacks were not merely physical. They stripped him of all comforts, all hope, all except that which they had given him in hopes of creating their ultimate being of destruction."_

_"And he struck back. Proved that their creation had surpassed all hopes of success. He crushed all who sought to harm him. Human or pokemon, all threats were eliminated with the same certainty."_

_"The decision we must make is not whether ot not he should receive a partner, but whether we will hold him to blame for what he was created to be. Should we blame the boy for what his experiences have made him, knowing the crimes against him that caused it?"_

_"Should we repeat the idiocy which his human peers have persisted in, since that first attempted murder so long ago?"_

_"I believe we owe this boy our support as much as we do any of their kind. But I also believe we must take care in the making of that decision."_

_"We should offer the boy our support, if for no more reason than to balance the betrayal of his kin. Partner the boy with one of the desert princes, the Larvitars. Their natural desert adaptations should protect it from Shukaku's machinations, as will their ability to eat the biju's weapon of choice."_

"So it is decided, so shall it be," Arceus agreed.

The imprinting of the pokemon bond was the first physical pain Gaara had ever felt, but it was actually one of his few fond memories, and like Naruto, he kept Larvitar close, making a den of sorts for it in his gourd.

* * *

Omake: Pen Pals 1

Haku entered her room in the underground training area she and the remaining Fubuki ninja had begun building under the small town where they were hiding and shut the door with a sigh.

She removed her mask and set it aside along with her pouch and armor lined combat kimono. She had just returned from a spying trip, trying to learn what Dotou was up to, but all she had found out was what Sandayu-san had already known: Dotou wants the legendary Kazehana treasure.

She set a teapot heating on a small electric burner in her room, which itself was powered by a fair sized generator the samurai had smuggled in from somewhere, and prepared for some tea.

Ice element master or not, a girl could only take so much cold.

She had just changed into a new outfit, complete with a thick sweater in a dark shade of orange when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called, palming a senbon casually.

"Got good news for you..." Sandayu said cheerfully, entering the room and trailing off when he caught an eyeful of the uncharacteristically bright sweater. Haku usually wore winter colors, blue, white, dark brown, he'd never seen her wearing orange, even if it was a shade found on fallen leaves rather than citrus fruits. "Is... something wrong?" he asked, when she dropped the senbon on the desk carelessly.

"No... it just... reminds me of a friend..." Haku replied in embarrassment, blushing a bit. She should have expected a reaction like that, Sandayu acted like everybody's grandfather, but he was rather astute at times, and she had only bought this sweater because it reminded her of Naruto...

"Ohhh... That kind of friend, eh?" He asked, trying to tease her a little.

"No!" Haku replied too quickly. "No... he's just a friend..."

"Oh, I see. Not the sort of guy who'd write 'Haku-chan' on a letter for you at all, hmm?" He grinned at the look of shock on her face, and his Delibird hopped up to his shoulder from behind, holding the pristine letter in it's beak.

Haku darted over in a flash, grabbing the letter and blushing brightly at the scrawled 'Haku-chan' on it... until she realized what the letter's presence, and Delibird's return, meant.

She looked to Sandayu sadly, and he dropped a hand to her shoulder in support.

"You'll do fine. The people trust you, and the samurai and ninja respect you," he said sincerely. "You know as well as I that without Princess Kazehana, the people won't be willing to do what's needed to dethrone Dotou. I'll find her and bring her back, no matter how long it takes, I just need you to have an army waiting for us when I do..."

"I will do my best..." Haku replied, though she would admit that she was more than a little worried. It was a new experience to have so many people's lives in her hands, and unfortunately, she was probably the most experienced ninja left alive in the country, with the possible exception of Dotou's lackeys.

"I know you will," Sandayu said. "Now, it's bad luck to watch someone leave on a sea voyage, so you get to reading that love letter and I'll see you when I get back."

He was gone before she could formulate a suitable response, and so she just let it be.

Instead, she carefully opened the letter, and set some tea to steeping, more to calm her nerves than to chase away a chill. Naruto(-kun?)'s letter had done a good job of that.

_Hey Haku-chan,_

_This is my first letter, can ya believe it? Does this make us pen pals or something? Sorry if I don't write it right... I asked Iruka-sensei for advice, but he told me to just write what comes natural... so here goes..._

_Things sound pretty bad over there, if you ever need a hand fixing things, just gimme a call and I'll come down with both fists swinging. Might even bring Sakura-chan an' the Teme too, if it's bad enough. Saving a princess is on my 'Pre-Hokage to do' list, so I gotta get it done fast, you'd be doing me a favor by asking, really!_

_I'm really glad things are going good for you there, pretty girls deserve to be happy... actually, so do ugly girls, and boys... everyone deserves to be happy, but I'm glad you're really happy, that's all I'm trying to say._

_It is sad that you get sad sometimes, but Jiji used to tell me that people can't really appreciate the good without a little bad, so maybe it's a good thing, ya know?_

_Things were goin' pretty good in Wave when we left, they got a whole bunch of the shiny leaves and sold them to Jiji to buy a bunch of the stuff they needed, and Tsunami's working with some guy to get it all, she was really excited last time I saw her too._

_I gave the other teams their leaves and things went pretty good there, though Ino-chan scared me a bit when I did. She also said some bad things about me for being nice to you after you beat up Sasuke, but she's one of those teme-obsessed girls, so I don't much care what she thinks anyway._

_She did tell me the chunin exam's coming up though, and Kakashi's training us really hard, so I think he's getting us ready for it. If that's what it is, then we are gonna kick ass so hard you'll hear it all the way over there!_

_Um... I'm not sure what else to say, so I guess I better end it here... Sorry if I messed it up anywhere,_

_Naruto_

_P.S. Ralts really liked the poffin Delibird gave her, I'm gonna have to make a bunch more sometime soon for her, and Delibird really liked Ichiraku's food too, I'll really have to take you there someday. They added a bunch of stuff to their menu too, so it's not all ramen anymore, and most of the new stuff's really tasty. (Ayame-neechan made me try all of it)_

* * *

Longest chapter thus far... done and dusted, and thank the shadows for that, hehe.

For those who may be curious, the self heating (plastic) cans exist in the real world. I saw a thing on TV about them a while back and thought of how useful they'd be, and so I decided to use them as a little option for hot ramen on the go, which I've seen done in numerous other fics in various ways.

Terms:  
Fubukigakure: 'Village hidden in the Blizzard'  
Nakagakure: 'Village hidden Within'

Unsigned review response:

Mesojoe: I always like long reviews, they tend to be the equivalent of yanking the starter chord on the lawnmower of my mind... if that makes sense to anyone, you must be as out of it as I am right now. Thank you for the compliments, and the critiques, they're always appreciated, and rest assured I have no plans to give up the story soon, I have a ton of ideas, including one during the Pein invasion that will break my own heart if I don't use. I might have to address the chapter one paragraph size at some point, it's been mentioned a few times, as well as my proofreading to catch the grammar...

RG: I had read that Manga, but it completely slipped my mind that Karin was in the exams, but since I had some ideas after reading your review, I slipped her in a couple places, and have an idea to use her next chapter that should make for some interesting things in the longterm.

As a side note, when he appears, Nagato's paths will be spelled as Pein, if only to differentiate him from actual pain. (Minor detail, but I know it bugs some people.)

Partnerships this chapter:  
Lee: Tyrogue: Basically a small version of Lee himself, too perfect not to use, though I'm not sure what it will evolve into yet.  
Neji: Sneasel: Fast, smart, vicious, enjoy picking on the weak. All terms that describe both Sneasel and early Neji, seems to fit pretty well to me  
Tenten: Skarmory: A steel/flying type who's feathers can be harvested to make knives and swords. This has too much potential to pass up, even if it does lack evolutions and is pretty big (which has advantages too)

Gaara: Larvitar: My reasons are pretty much the same as Mewtwo's, with the addition of it starting with Sandstorm which allows it to just create sand for him to use whenever needed.  
Temari: Vibrava: It's evolution is known as 'The spirit of the desert' which suits Temari's role as the spirit of her team, plus as a dragonfly-like pokemon, it's fairly wind alligned.  
Kankuro: Golette: Kankuro, like Kiba, was a bit of a bugger for me, I decided on Golette half because it's a golem/puppet type, and half because I really think it'll be fun to play with, particularly since it's half ghost

Kin: Chingling: Admittedly, this is mostly because Kin uses bell and Chingling is one, but there's a fair bit of potential I think, particularly as a support type.  
Dosu: Whismur: I bounced around a fair bit whith this, but eventually chose Whismur since it seems to fit with his attack style of intense soundwaves used to destroy (another option was Duskull, for visual similarity)  
Zaku: Yanma: Yanma uses a lot of wind and sound moves (Supersonic and Screech for instance) and got a fair bit of screentime, if I need ideas for him. Really has anyone done anything with Zaku longterm?

Kabuto: Kecleon: Considering how many times Kabuto's changed sides, and apparent loyalyties, I can't really imagine a better partner for him, especially early on

Ibiki: Houndoom: Demon dog for a guy like Ibiki? If nothing else it makes a hell of an image.  
Anko: Seviper: Her having a snake partner is arguable, since I don't know if she was associated with Orochimaru prior to graduation, but if nothing else the amount of hatred seviper has for zangoose matches Anko's for Orochimaru.

And finally, Looking at where things are going now, I'm not sure how long I have til Eevee will need to evolve, so I'm opening the floor for discussion as to what she should evolve into. And while we're at it, Lee as well.

As usual, Review or PM as you prefer, and thank you once again for reading.

-Mhyrloc


	11. Fear filled forest? Forging forward!

I apologize for the very late update, and would rather not go into detail aside from two points: 1: Work has been pissing me off too much to focus on writing easily for the past few weeks, and 2: My entire outline got scrapped for this chapter, since it refused to stick to my plan.

Also... I had to cut the forest in half... Sorry, hehe. I seem to end up doing that a lot.

* * *

Team Seven arrived at training ground forty-four long before dawn, but still weren't the first to arrive.

Just over a dozen genin were there waiting for the test to begin. Observing the competition and the primal forest that was apparently going to be the setting.

It was one of the rare occasions that Naruto wished he were a bit more like Sasuke. The forest at night was a dozen times more disturbing than any other place he'd ever seen, but the Teme was stone-faced despite that fact.

Roars and whistles, crashes and creaks abounded, not one of which sounded normal in the pre-dawn darkness.

Even more disturbing, that creepy redhead from Suna, Gaara, stood bare feet away from the fence, staring into the forest fascinated by the sounds within.

In fact, the only time he'd seen the boy look away, the foreigner had been staring at him with a look of desire and bloodlust that couldn't be healthy.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder which of them carried the greater health risk though...

Gaara for being so unbalanced?

Or himself for attracting the apparent psychopath's attention?

It certainly wasn't reassuring when Gaara's teammates arrived and seemed more afraid of him than the forest.

People arrived every few minutes in the last hour before the test, with the last few showing up after the chunin assistants, who had appeared via shunshin exactly on time.

Those who were late looked worried, until it became obvious that the assistants weren't interested in their tardiness.

Maybe because the training grounds were a bit difficult to navigate without an experienced guide.

But more likely because the crazy proctor lady was late too.

Anko finally showed up nearly half an hour late, in a manner as spectacular as it was terrifying.

Her arrival was preceded by roaring laughter, shouted taunts, and the crashing of foliage, not from the path towards the village, but from within the training ground itself.

She leapt from the treeline a good fifty feet away, smiling like Naruto at a ramen festival and being chased by three of the biggest tigers anyone present had ever seen.

The smallest of them would have easily outweighed any five genin, even assuming one was Chouji.

Seviper, still wrapped easily around it's partner's waist and facing back as she ran playfully from her pursuers, hissed quietly, and Anko dropped into a roll, throwing herself backwards underneath one of the tigers, who'd thought to pounce her.

Twisting fluidly, despite it's perch's rolling, Seviper called it's name and spat a blob of brown sludge at the airborne beast, which exploded into a sickening miasma upon impact. _(Sludge Bomb)_

The tiger crashed down writhing, his skin tinging purple from the poisonous detonation.

Anko rolled to her feet and leapt into the air, right before the second tiger, coming in low behind it's packmate, could bowl her over.

Instead, it got hit by the exploding tag Anko had left for it as she rolled, and it was out of the fight as well.

The third, oldest, largest, and most experienced of the three, leapt after Anko on an intercept course, fangs as large as swords poised to rip the life from her.

A mere gesture from Anko was enough to end that intention, as numerous snakes sprang from her sleeves and latched onto the beast's face.

It managed to rip one apart, and bite onto another, before Anko used them to reel herself down and plant her sandaled feet firmly upon it's sensitive nose, then with a chakra enhanced leap, spring away, recalling her serpents and sending the tiger crashing face first into the earth.

Using the airborne cat as a springboard, Anko easily cleared the high fence, spinning into a pattern of twirls and flips an Olympic diver would be proud of, before landing with a flourishing bow in front of the shocked genin.

"Only three today?" One of the assistants asked drily.

"Yeah, just a bit of a warmup," Anko replied. "Don't wanna tire out the natives before the kiddies get to play."

"You cannot be saying you're sending us in there?" Ino asked incredulously.

"Well of course I am," Anko replied. "I did tell you we were getting serious, didn't I?"

"You're sending us into a place with giant tigers... as a test?"A genin from Waterfall asked, just to clarify how insane the woman must be.

"And giant bugs, giant snakes, giant fish... Oh and one really, really big bear. I call him Kumagari!" Anko replied cheerfully.

"You named the bear... What is it, your pet?" A sound ninja asked derisively.

"No, but when I finish learning taxidermy, I'll have the coolest house in Konoha!" Anko answered excitedly.

"That... has to be the biggest bear ever..." Naruto remarked, imagining the size of a bear big enough to turn into a house. Ralts nodded nervously, sharing the mental image Naruto had comparing the giant bear to his own apartment building.

"I know, right!" Anko agreed. "It actually eats the tigers sometimes!"

Most of the genin looked at her like she was nuts, but some looked interested in the challenge, and others looked... otherwise.

"Sounds... Mmm... Exciting..." commented a kunoichi from Grass, licking her lips disturbingly.

"Sounds suicidal," Kabuto countered worriedly.

"Well, we do call it the 'Forest of Death' for a reason," Anko replied sinisterly. "And for the next five days, it's gonna be your new home."

"Five days?" "In there!" "Are you nuts?" Objected a number of contestants.

"What are we gonna do for food!" Chouji demanded, his roar of fear easily beating down the more numerous, if less specific, complaints.

"It's a forest, there's plenty to eat," Anko replied easily. "Just think of it as a culinary adventure, you might discover the next big dish."

"More likely, he'll become the next big dish," Zaku countered meanly. "Just hope some poor snake doesn't choke on all that fat."

"What did you say!" Chouji yelled, turning a berserker glare on the sound ninja.

"I said you're so fat you'll give whatever eats your oversized ass heart disease!" Zaku fired back. "You got a problem with that?"

"Chouji, back off, we'll get 'em later. It'd be way too troublesome to get disqualified right now... especially since this is a combat test, right Miss Proctor?" Shikamaru said, reigning in his friend easily.

"Good guess kid," Anko confirmed. "And it looks like it's gonna be an exciting one, so settle down while I explain the rules, then we can get you going at each other's throats ASAP."

"Rules are simple: Each team will start with one of these scrolls," she said, holding up a black scroll and a white scroll.

"Your goal is to arrive, with your full team, at the tower in the center of the training ground within the five day test duration with both scrolls in hand. There are twenty-three teams present, so a maximum of eleven teams will pass this test."

"Any team that loses their scroll can attempt to get two new ones and still pass, but I don't need to explain the disadvantage you'll be at in that situation."

"Alternatively, any team that loses a member, or has a member incapacitated beyond their ability to continue, cannot proceed, so it's in your best interest to bring your living-impaired teammate to any of the gates and accept disqualification."

"For any of you who are both vicious and cowardly, this will be your only chance to quit from here on."

"Now, for the good news: If you manage to bring both scrolls to the tower, you will be able to stay there, safe, warm, and well fed, until the test is over. While in the tower, fighting is a serious no-go, so get all your revenge stuff done before then, okay?" Anko finished with a wide grin.

"Any questions before we get down to business?" Anko asked after letting her instructions sink in.

"What's in the scrolls?" One of the contestants asked.

"Bad things, including disqualification, if you open them before entering the tower," Anko replied. "I strongly suggest not reading any secure scroll you're ever supposed to carry. It is part of the business afterall."

"What if it gets wet and the adhesive gets unsticky, and then it blows open and you accidentally read it?" Naruto asked.

Anko blinked at him a couple times and replied, ticking points off on her fingers.

"Bad things, disqualification, and... I dedicate an entire day to visit you at the hospital and laugh at you. Seriously, don't open the scrolls anywhere outside the tower."

"Now, if there are no more stupid questions, my minions will hand out some forms for you to fill out. Return them completed, as a team, and you will be handed one of the scrolls."

"There will be eleven of each, with one extra decided by me. Scrolls will be assigned randomly, so good luck guessing which team has which."

"After that, you'll pick one of the forty-four gates surrounding the Forest of Death, which another minion will escort you to, and prepare for the test."

Her chunin assistants, looking less than happy at their new titles, began handing out the waivers, while Anko perched on top of the shack smiling like the cat who ate the canary.

It did amuse her that the entire group were reading through the waiver, though she shot down the predictable complaints that it's only purpose was to protect her own ass.

She was pretty sure she scandalized a few with her claim that an ass as sexy as hers deserved protecting.

* * *

At Naruto's insistence, Team Seven was one of the first teams to receive their heaven scroll and be escorted to their gate, though not before Chouji and Shikamaru sought out Kabuto and grilled him for what little he knew about the forest.

Upon arrival at gate twelve, which Sasuke insisted on choosing, probably in response to Naruto's unusually persistent demands for haste, Naruto turned to the escort with a question.

"There any restrictions on what we can do to prepare?" he asked, leaning against the chain-link fence casually.

"Contestants are forbidden to enter before the exam begins," replied the chunin. "Beyond that, anything goes."

"Good," Naruto replied, forming a cross with his fingers. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

As usual, the clones appeared from thin air around him, and thanks to his position against the fence, half were inside.

He dispelled the ones outside, and looked over the thirty or so within.

"I want you to head straight for the tower," he ordered. "Every kilometer in, I want a few of you to split off and look around. I want info on anything important: Food, water, shelter, good trap locations, and anything dangerous."

"First group to separate, dispel in half an hour, next group half an hour later and so on for each group except the last. I don't want you to dispel until you reach the tower, now get goin', time's wastin'!"

The group of clones saluted their creator and leapt away.

"...Is that... legal?" Sakura asked in surprise. Naruto had explained the memory transfer aspect of the shadowclone jutsu to the team, much to Sasuke's envy.

The chunin thought for a bit, then smacked Naruto in the back of the head.

The boy stumbled forward with a yelp, then recovered and glared at the chunin, which Ralts mirrored and even his teammate's pokemon growled aggressively.

The chunin shrugged and replied carelessly. "Real one's still here, shadowclone's can't get promoted. Nothing in the rules against it."

"And I bet the Hyuugas are taking a look around too..." Sasuke reasoned.

While in perfect circumstances, the clones would have dispelled at their assigned times, in reality they vanished individually at a staggered timeframe, as they fell prey to the beasts of the forest.

But Naruto being Naruto, derived a fair amount of amusement from the surprise he imagined on the animal's faces when their food vanished unexpectedly.

* * *

As soon as the door was opened, Naruto and his team took off into the forest, following the clones' path to where one had been dispelled after finding a serviceable, if occupied, shelter.

They found the place easily, and evicted the former occupant, a pit spider the size of a Venusaur, by simple expedient of a pair of fire attacks fanned to an inferno by a two-handed gale palm, directed straight down it's den.

After inspection by a clone, the team settled in to strategize, while the clone took up a sentry position near the entrance, henged into a copy of the deceased arachnid.

Naruto had learned that there were limits to his own ability to henge, which he'd begun experimenting with once he'd learned to make his claws strong enough to support his weight and sharp enough to bite into wood easily... by far the most unusual tree climbing he'd done so far.

He could mimic any person he could think of, or invent a look on the spot, but he couldn't turn into a smaller version of another species.

He'd attempted to henge into Ralts, and had become a four foot tall version of her. Similar things had happened when he tried to imitate Charmander, Charmeleon, and Eevee too.

His clones, on the other hand, suffered no such limitation. They could shrink down to Rattata size if needed without issue.

When he'd brought it up to Kakashi-sensei, the teacher suggested it might be an instinctual block, to prevent him from turning into something too different and 'breaking' his internal systems.

Such an event might be of particular risk when trying to turn into pokemon who were so different biologically, as evidenced by Aron's eating habits or Charmander's ability to breath flame.

The clones, however, had only one vital component: Their skin, and could alter it easily without risking permanent injury.

Not that they didn't suffer their own disadvantages. Naruto had no idea how to move with so many more legs, and neither did his sentry clone.

Thankfully, it was sufficient deterrent to most things just being a giant arachnophobia inducing monster.

They remained in their den, sharing the information gathered by Naruto's clones, until the first one to reach the tower dispelled, giving Naruto a panoramic view of the forest from the tower's peak.

While they waited, Naruto sent off another dozen clones, henged into versions of teams from outside Konoha to find and lure opponents to them, if the clones felt the real team could handle the targets with relative ease.

Unfortunately, that plan didn't work out as well as hoped, since all the teams found either suspected a trap, or were skilled enough to destroy the fragile clones during the chase.

They waited for most of three hours, since the clone they were waiting on had become more and more cautious as his backups had dispelled, despite their initial progress all but eliminating the threat from other ninja.

But by that time, Team Seven had a better mental map of the forest than even Neji Hyuuga could claim, especially after a telepathic conference following the last clones' dispersal.

As a result, they left their temporary hide with a plan that should have been the next best thing to perfect.

But unfortunately, they were to learn a lesson all leaders had to eventually: No plan survives contact with the enemy.

Especially when that enemy is an S-ranked criminal with an eye for eyes.

* * *

"Hokage-sama!" One of Anko's chunin assistants called, appearing in his leader's office via shunshin.

The aged leader looked up from the village map he's been staring at with a frown and gestured for the man to speak.

"We have discovered evidence of infiltration into the genin exams," he explained. "Three corpses were found this morning matching a team of genin who are currently within the Forest of Death. Preliminary examination places the time of death at some point last night."

"When this disparity was brought to the proctor's attention, Anko Mitarashi demanded to see the corpses, the faces of which were disfigured in a manner she identified as similar to a technique used by her former sensei. As such, she is confident that the perpetrator either is, or is affiliated with, Orochimaru."

"Could this be related to our other mystery?" The masked form of the current Anbu Captain asked from where he stood, overlooking the map with his commander-in-chief.

"It is possible..." Sarutobi admitted, tapping his desk idly as he thought. "Orochimaru and his snake summons are recognizable enough that someone would have identified him after this many repetitions."

Starting eleven days before the first exam, strange chakra had been sensed by the patrolling Anbu, once or twice each night.

The pulses were quickly identified as summoning jutsu, but no matter how swiftly the Anbu arrived, no trace could be found of either the ninja responsible or the beast brought forth.

Even the sharp-eyed Hyuuga hadn't been able to catch the perpetrator.

"It would still be prudent to check though.." Sarutobi muttered. "Take half the available Hyuuga Anbu and assign them to watching the exam for Orochimaru or whomever the infiltrator may turn out to be. I want the rest to search the village for any evidence of his presence, including snakes with overly large chakra signatures."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," The Anbu captain said, straightening into a salute and vanishing the instant his fist struck his chest.

The Hokage didn't truly believe the strange summonings were the snake Sannin's doing, it was too far from his standard practice.

None of the seventeen sites were places where his serpents would be able to cause notable harm or gather significant intelligence within a standard summon duration.

Orochimaru was considered a genius, and with good reason, but his actions were often more direct than one would expect from a ninja of his caliber. Giant snakes were more his style, despite the value a small, highly venomous alternative might offer.

Of course, that the massively powerful, and almost unbelievably proud, serpents would obey him was testament to his strength in it's own way.

Personally, Sarutobi believed the strange summons to be a genin or jounin-sensei attempting to gather information on the competition or village as a whole, both common acts during the exams, and a more subtle part of the game itself, but it never hurt to prepare for the less pleasant alternatives.

Additionally, the locations of the summonings were all off, if it was simply espionage related. Many were scattered among the residential districts for some reason.

But if it were Orochimaru, and he was within Konoha... what might he be after?

"Where is Anko now?" he asked, turning his attention back to the chunin.

"She entered the Forest of death, sir," answered the man. "Presumably to locate and identify the intruder."

"And attempt to kill them if they truly are Orochimaru's pawns," Sarutobi finished. "Tiger-san, Neko-san, I want a squad to enter the testing grounds to find her. Select your members in preparation for the worst, and take as many as you need. I would rather we kill a lesser threat outright than permit our ninja to be slain if it is Orochimaru. Primary mission is to be securing the safety of any contestants at risk from the intruders, followed by locating Anko and supporting her if she hasn't found the targets yet."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," two of the Hokage's guards said before flickering away themselves.

"What would you have of me?" the chunin asked cautiously. The last person on the planet he wanted to confront in a place like training ground forty-four was Orochimaru, though Anko was a fairly close second.

"Return to your duties," Sarutobi ordered, ignoring the man's obvious relief. "Whether this is Orochimaru or not, we must maintain the integrity of the exam itself."

"Right. Should I notify the secondary lead proctor?" The chunin asked.

"That would be wise," the Hokage agreed. "Arceus willing, it will be an unnecessary measure, but it would be best to be ready for the worst."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," the chunin agreed, before leaving himself.

Once more alone, save for his nearly invisible sentries, Sarutobi frowned and looked to the map once more. Jiraiya's last communique had warned him that there were hints of things to come. Unpleasantness centered around the exam itself, and that he had taken some unknown steps to counter the rumored threat.

But studying one mystery while the danger of Orochimaru's presumed presence thrummed through him, Sarutobi couldn't help but imagine himself as part of a shougi game in which Konoha itself would become the game board.

Pulling out one of the scrolls for official orders, he penned up a list of commands. Increasing patrols, ordering inspections of all defensive structures within the village, as well as commanding all ninja of chunin rank and above to remain combat ready at all times, among others.

If Konoha was to become a playing field, he intended to teach anyone foolish enough to make it one, the meaning of the term 'Home field advantage'.

* * *

Team Seven ran through the treetops in search of a team they could relieve of an earth scroll.

Once again they were following Naruto's lead, as he trailed after a number of clones he'd sent out in groups henged into squirrels, which he'd noticed to be rather common, despite the number of predators in the forest.

He guessed that the normal sized rodents just weren't worth hunting to the huge predators in this freaky place.

Also of note was the general lack of pokemon within the training ground, with obvious reasons.

Aside from a number of inedible species like Geodudes and a large mound inhabited by a Durant colony, he hadn't seen any he could identify.

Currently, Naruto was leading them towards a pair of Grass ninja who seemed to be moving around without their third member.

He was aware that their apparent vulnerability might be a trap, but even after a thorough search, the clones couldn't find any other ninja nearby, and one dispelled itself to notify their creator of the opportunity.

The clones had also notified him of a number of other nearby teams, including Shikamaru's, and the team with Bushy brows and that Teme-among-Temes, but since he'd rather fight a foreign team than one of his own comrades, he'd kept quiet about their presences.

Besides, six against four was much better odds than an even matchup, even with the Grass ninja's pokemon being unknown.

But as skilled at hiding and locating hidden people as Naruto and Ralts were, a ninja of Orochimaru's caliber was still better.

As such, Ralts was still puzzling through the odd sensations within a tree near their path, which they would have actually traveled upon, had Naruto not subconsciously avoided it, thanks to Ralts' confusion, when the snake sannin's attack came.

When Orochimaru melted out of the tree, his emotional presence clarified into a sharp hunger bordering on bloodlust, proving that the topiary giant wasn't one of the predatory plants that destroyed a number of clones.

Even before he'd fully left hiding, Orochimaru drew in a sharp breath and released it in a wall of wind that sent the genin team flying.

* * *

Eevee, who had been bounding from tree to tree beside Sakura, froze a moment before the attack, as Orochimaru's presence solidified in Ralts' strange senses.

The shivering pokemon drew the attention of her partner and team, and so, only Ralts was aware of the sannin until the attack was released.

The roar of wind and snapping of branches thicker than an average ninja's arm, was the first warning Team Seven had, and Sakura grabbed Eevee in a lunge, holding the terrified pokemon to herself in an attempt to protect it.

When the wall of wind hit, Sakura tried to catch herself on a nearby branch, but it shattered beneath her in the tempest, and she ended up impacting hard on the trunk of a tree instead.

Thankfully, she was able to grab onto it with chakra, saving them from a potentially bone-breaking fall, and providing them with some cover when she managed to circle around the thick trunk.

Sasuke and Charmeleon fared better. With none of their limbs occupied, it was a fairly simple matter to grab onto the tree they would have otherwise slammed into, and swiftly spring away to cover Sakura as she assessed her injury.

It didn't escape the Uchiha's notice that their third teammate was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Naruto had caught himself both more easily, and more quickly than Sasuke, having gotten used to having to attach himself to the ground to avoid being launched backwards by his own Gale Palm experiments, and he'd done so on instinct the second he'd identified the threat.

But never having been the target of one of his own attacks, he neglected to consider it's effect on his belongings, or his pokemon, and without a way to hold on, Ralts was blown clear out of her carrier.

Naruto's decision to help her was less a decision than an imperative, and he leapt in pursuit, catching her out of the air easily, but surrendering himself to the clashing current.

Between his chakra powered jump and the blasting wind, Naruto and Ralts tumbled through the air for nearly a quarter of a kilometer before they managed to hit solid ground.

He had barely skid to a stop before launching himself back the way he'd come.

There was no way something like that was natural, even in this freaky place, and that meant it had to be an attack.

Which meant they were in trouble, and he had to get back and help his team!

"_Look out!" _The pint-sized pokemon nearly screamed in his mind.

Ralts' warning came just as he leapt away, and had he not already been in motion, the giant snake's whip-fast strike would have caught him anyway.

As it was, the snake reoriented on him with nearly impossible speed, and struck once again.

Without time to properly visualize a destination, at least one within the forest as opposed to the places she knew by heart, Ralts looked to a tree far enough away that it should put them beyond the interest of the simple, if oversized, beast.

The pair vanished in a flash of blue, as Ralts yanked them through space an instant before they were treated to a fate Naruto preferred to reserve for ramen.

"Thanks, Ralts-chan," Naruto whispered to the pokemon in his arms, once he realized they weren't being eaten horribly.

The pair watched as the giant predator flicked it's tongue inquisitively, testing the air for it's escaped prey.

Ralts was silent as she focused on the animal, confused by the unexpectedly complex emotional presence it possessed.

It wasn't hungry, or angry, or any of the other primitive feelings that non-sentient beasts were limited to.

Instead it exuded a sense of purpose and determination, spiked through with a severe fear of failure.

The snake closed it's eyes, an act which struck Naruto as unusual, (didn't snakes not have eyelids?) and slowly , scales rasping as it moved, rotated it's head in a circle, angling it up and down like some sort of metal detector, searching for him, despite it's apparent blindness.

Before the prudent and obvious option of 'get the hell out of there' occurred to Naruto, the snake's eyes shot open, and Naruto would later swear that he actually felt them lock onto him.

Instantly, the snake sprang into motion, throwing itself after Naruto, who himself took off with a cry of fear and panic.

The snake moved like a river of quicksilver across the ground and through the trees after him, and more than once only a timely teleportation from Ralts kept them from being cornered or eaten.

* * *

"Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked when Sasuke joined her behind the massive trunk she'd claimed for cover.

Sasuke shrugged silently, as he and Charmeleon searched through the forest warily.

Hoping she had suffered nothing more serious than bruises, she ran through the healing jutsu Kakashi had taught her, hissing in pain as the technique forced days worth on healing into a few brief seconds.

During the heavy training, she had learned the hazards of overworked and bruised muscles, and on a whim had tested the jutsu, learning that it helped.

Didn't do a thing to heal skin or bones, but it was worth the drain if a fight was coming up, especially if their attacker would expect her to be down for the count.

Exhaustion swept over her as the tight muscles loosened, but she ignored the less pressing concern in favor of peering through the trees for Naruto or their unknown attacker.

"Where is he?" She whispered again, wishing it wouldn't be veritable suicide to yell for him, but Naruto, or more accurately Ralts, was the one most capable of finding their attackers before it was too late.

"Right here, Sakura," called Naruto quietly, and she looked to see him crawling up the trunk of the tree towards the rest of the group.

Unnoticed between Sakura and the tree, Eevee whimpered and pressed herself against the bark as Naruto joined the team.

"Where are they?" Sasuke asked, as the blond arrived, his eyes ever scanning the forest.

Charmeleon probed the woods as well, his nostrils flaring as he searched with his superior senses, he knew someone was close, but the scent was somehow... off.

"They?" Naruto repeated in confusion before Sasuke's meaning clicked. "Oh, right. I'll find 'em, just leave it to me!" He said with typical exuberance, closing his eyes and screwing his face into a look of concentration, as Ralts mimed him from within her carrier.

"Well?" Sakura prompted after the wait seemed to stretch on too long.

"I'm tryin', alright?" Naruto replied snappishly. "He's close, I can feel it, but he's so strong I can't pin him down easily..."

"He? You mean only one person did that?" Sasuke asked, eyeing Naruto closely, since when did it matter to Ralts how strong someone was?

"Yeah," Naruto replied. "An' he's so strong... I've never felt this much chakra. Not even from the Hokage!"

_'Or felt any chakra but his own,'_ Sasuke thought. Naruto wasn't a sensor type, but best to be sure.

"What does Ralts think?" Sasuke asked, voice bland to hide his interest and suspicion.

"Ralts thinks he's strong too," Naruto replied absently, before throwing himself away from Sasuke's stabbing attack and Charmeleon's pursuing fireball.

"What the hell was that for!" Naruto shouted before clapping his hands over his mouth in worry.

"You might as well drop the act, impostor," Sasuke sneered. "You might look and sound like the Dobe, but you sure as hell don't act like him."

"Naruto never says Ralts' name without adding 'chan' to it," Sakura added smugly. She hadn't been as fast as Sasuke in putting together the pieces, but the instant he attacked, she figured it out.

"Come to think of it, I've never heard him say 'Sakura' without adding the 'chan' either," Sasuke commented, hoping a little idle banter might incite a useful anger in their opponent.

"I was hoping he'd finally given up," Sakura replied sourly. "But no, it just had to be something more realistic," she sighed.

'Naruto' vanished in a cloud of smoke, replaced by the creepy genin who's been excited to hear about the Forest of Death.

"I suppose next time I should be more observant of what trash I throw away," the kunoichi mused. "But unfortunately, only one of you actually interests me..." she said, leering at Sasuke and licking her lips grotesquely.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sasuke muttered, covering his face with his palm. "Look, if you're here to start chasing me around like the rest of the crazy girls in my life, come back after I avenge my clan, okay? I'm really not looking to move onto the 'restoration' part until then."

The kunoichi actually looked taken aback at that comment.

"I... think you have my intentions confused," she said. "I have no intention of bearing your children..." _'Though breeding Uchiha hosts for the future is an idea with some merit,' _she added silently.

"You're not?" Sasuke and Sakura asked in simultaneous surprise, followed by an equally synchronized "Thank Arceus," though for different reasons.

Sasuke really didn't want such a creepy fangirl, especially with how many he already had. He got harassed enough by the civilians and his few remaining ninja stalkers without gaining foreign ones too.

Sakura really didn't want anymore competition, especially from someone with a tongue like that... Who knows what creepy things she could do with it, but Sasuke-kun wasn't a fetish freak who'd be into that sort of thing... right?

"Aren't you worried that I have come for your scroll?" Orochimaru asked, wanting to get the conversation back to where he expected it should be. Kabuto had told him that the Uchiha was serious to the point of dourness.

"Not really, you already told us you were here alone," Sasuke replied dismissively. He was a bit surprised how fun it could be to intentionally annoy people, shame he didn't know as much about this Grass ninja as he did that Hyuuga bastard.

" 'He's close, so close, and stronger than the Hokage!' " Sakura said, paraphrasing the disguised kunoichi's words from earlier in an overly dramatic voice.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, save me! She's trying to scare me before the big reveal!" She replied to herself, switching to a 'damsel in distress' voice and pretending to swoon.

"We've seen that horror movie before," Sasuke added snidely. "Here's a spoiler: the villain isn't scary, and she doesn't win."

"Well, perhaps this will be more to your liking," the Grass ninja replied crossly, focusing her ever-present desire to kill on the pair. "I came here alone, because I know you cannot hope to defeat me."

"I will take your heaven scroll from you, and I will leave this forest two sharingan eyes richer."

"I care nothing for the pink-haired trash, or your pathetic third member, who I've already dealt with. Only you, Sasuke Uchiha, interest me. If you truly wish to avenge your fallen clan, to even live long enough to return to that worthless village you call home, then you must survive this meeting... If you can."

Sasuke tried to reach for the Uchiha supremacy his father had preached so often before his death, tried to discount the kunoichi's threats as empty promises born of bravado, tried to even look away from her dead-eyed stare, but found himself frozen in fear.

In the soulless gaze of his opponent, Sasuke saw only promises delivered with the surety of prophecy, and with less passion than if an academy student was merely reading them from a history book.

This kunoichi was nothing like Haku. The idea of killing them wasn't just business to her, it was personal, it was like the act of dealing death was her hobby, her fetish, and he was as good a target as anyone.

Better, if she could do it without destroying his eyes.

Unbidden, images of his own death came to mind, along with the memories of his clan's oblivion that had haunted his nightmares, but every corpse wore his face.

A hundred broken bodies. A thousand bloody pieces, an unmeasurable amount of pain, all guaranteed by the emptiness in that woman's eyes.

But unlike on the bridge, there would be no miraculous awakening to save him, no bloodline to rescue him from this fate, for in his fear, he had already activated the eyes of his heritage, and all it did was burn the woman's visage into his mind eternally.

He heard a whimper and thump as Sakura's legs gave out, and worry gave him the strength to finally glance away.

Sakura knelt, muscles slack and a look of surrender on her face. If he hadn't seen her flinch when the Grass ninja looked her way, Sasuke would have sworn she'd fainted.

As it was, only Eevee kept her from falling out of the tree entirely, for despite it's fear, the pokemon had grabbed her partner's dress in her teeth and dug in fiercely, vainly trying to protect her partner.

Stealing a glance at Charmeleon, he could see that his pokemon was as tense as a coiled spring, the fear and excitement warring within him apparent in the wildly fluctuating tail-flame and twitching claws.

Sasuke could tell he was interested in fighting this monster, despite the danger, and knew it would be a bad idea to allow him to attack.

Plus, Naruto and Ralts were still missing, and the kunoichi had claimed responsibility for that too.

Trying to delay her probably wouldn't help anymore, and Sasuke wracked his brain for answers, hating the thought that either of his teammates would have come up with something tactical or random enough to create an opening.

"I must admit, I expected you to be more... impressive, Sasuke Uchiha," the woman said in her slithering voice, as she drew a set of kunai. "Oh well, it works out better this way I suppose. There will be less risk of damaging my precious eyes if I can kill you quickly... Try not to struggle too much."

She tossed the blades with deceptive laziness, and Sasuke knew he had run out of time to think.

Knowing he had bare seconds until the kunai struck, fatally if his sharingan's predictive ability was correct, Sasuke overruled his indecision and blurred into motion.

He spun a kick into Charmeleon's side, and the unexpected attack kicked the pokemon from his perch easily.

Sasuke pushed off the pokemon, both to minimize the harm it would take and to give himself a speed boost as he grabbed Sakura and Eevee and leapt from the branch on the opposite side from Charmeleon.

He bounced off a nearby branch and rocketed over to land near Charmeleon who had caught onto another in the twisted treetops and joined the retreat, though not without making his displeasure known by shortening Sasuke's spiky hair with a blast of flame.

* * *

Back in the tree, Orochimaru smiled viciously as he saw the four kunai buried deep in the wood where the team would have been standing a few scant seconds before.

It would seem the Uchiha was more interesting than initial assessment suggested, it just took a bit of motivation to get him started.

That he retreated rather than attack, and spent the effort to save his worthless teammate was a minor nuisance. It certainly wouldn't do for the boy to follow that ridiculous 'Will of Fire' nonsense Sarutobi-sensei had always preached, but it could easily be that he would be disqualified without her...

And the retreat? Well maybe he had overdone it a bit, but really, he so rarely got to properly play with his targets. These days they tended to either run the instant they recognized him, or try to catch him in some annoying suicide attack.

Either way it was all very boring.

In hindsight, it was probably a good thing. It would be a shame to end the amusement, and his interest in the actual exams, early because of a little mistake like that, he would have to be more careful not to kill the lesser genin...

Come to think of it, he would also have to free that blond brat too...

After his fun with Sasuke of course. An hour or two in a snake's stomach wouldn't cripple the kid too much.

* * *

Sakura came back to herself, to find she was in a completely different tree, and Sasuke was keeping watch with a degree of vigilance not far from paranoia.

"W-where are we?" She asked. "What happened to that freaky Grass ninja?"

"She tried to kill us," Sasuke growled in frustration. "Said she wanted my eyes... I managed to get us away, but I would bet she's still looking for us, so keep it down."

"I can't believe I'm saying this... but I wish Naruto were here," Sakura whispered nervously.

"Same here," Sasuke replied with a chagrined look. "Ralts could get us far enough away that that psycho would never catch up... But she said she 'handled him', so she must have done something to keep him away, or worse."

"N-no way," Sakura objected. "Naruto wouldn't die that easy. He may be an idiot, but no genin is going to catch him, not when he spent so much time giving village patrols the run around!"

Sasuke slapped a hand over her mouth, before looking around rapidly for anything that might have been attracted by Sakura's outburst.

Thankfully, he didn't see anything, so he lowered his hand, rubbing it on the leg of his shorts.

"Look, I'm not saying he is, just that he might be," Sasuke conceded. "I'm not sure that woman even is a genin, at least in ability."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked quietly.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I have a feeling she's a lot stronger than a genin should be," Sasuke explained. "Her eyes were like Zabuza's. Like she had killed more people than I've ever even met, and she enjoys it."

Sakura shuddered at that thought. She had seen the kunoichi's eyes, and hoped to never meet someone like that ever again.

"What are we going to do?" She asked miserably.

"Whatever it takes," Sasuke said firmly. "We need a plan. Something to let us either kill her or escape, but if we just escape, we'll need to finish the test fast, I don't want to spend longer than I have to anywhere she might be able to reach us."

"We also need to find Naruto, or the exit gates will be our only option..." Sakura reminded him.

"We'll try to find the Dobe then," Sasuke agreed, not sure how they would.

He wouldn't accept failure. Not now, not this close to becoming chunin and taking a step up the ladder of power within the village.

* * *

"I can't believe we're doing this," Sasuke grumbled as he followed Sakura through the treetops.

"It's the best idea I could come up with on short notice," Sakura replied. "Neither of our pokemon can get in touch with Ralts, and the best way to find out what happened to Naruto is to go find him."

"I know all that," Sasuke replied irritably. "What I don't get is why we're heading right back to where that psycho attacked us."

"The only clue we have to where Naruto is, is where Naruto was when the wind jutsu hit," she explained. "Once we get there, we should be able to track his path, or at least figure out his trajectory, and save him."

"This still seems more like something the Dobe would come up with," Sasuke grumbled.

"Which is why it'll work," Sakura replied cheerfully. "No one will expect the top kunoichi and the rookie of the year to do something as stupid as this, so with a little luck, she won't look for us there until it's too late."

Sasuke just sighed in exasperation. Her explanation made sense, and he was afraid that meant they were spending way too much time with Naruto...

Surprisingly, they made it to their destination easily, and found the 'path' Naruto took easily.

"Did he even try catching himself?" Sasuke wondered, looking through the veritable tunnel of broken branches Naruto had plowed through on his way to wherever he was.

"Maybe not, it looks like there wasn't much big enough to support him..." Sakura observed, looking out over the area.

The treetops were a veritable maze of branches, but every so often there would be dead spots like Naruto had flown through, and the remains of a toppled topiary giant on the ground below illustrated the cause, which couldn't have been more than a year or two old.

In another couple years, as long as another tree didn't fall nearby, odds were strong that it would be just as dense as the majority of the forest.

They were actually running along that fallen giant when they were attacked once more.

A massive snake ripped through the tree beneath their feet, which was hollow and rotted nearly clean through. The pair had considered traveling through it themselves, but decided that being able to see was more important than having the cover, since they were looking for Naruto and Ralts.

The massive reptile ripped upward through the wood, shattering it into massive splinters and launching all four into the air.

The beast turned to Sakura, who had been in the lead, watching for any clue to Naruto's passage, but it hesitated for some reason, giving her time to recover and fling a fistful of shuriken at it.

The snake ducked it's head beneath a loop of it's body, and the thicker scales deflected most of the damage, though one sliced into the thin strip of flesh between them.

The snake hissed angrily and swept it's tail at Sakura, who was still suspended in air.

A streak of white flashed by, slamming into Sakura and knocking her away just before it connected. _(Quick Attack)_

She laughed as she found her arms full of Eevee, who thrilled her name in an amusingly non-intimitating battlecry and launched herself away again in a beam of white light.

Propelled by the rebound of Eevee's leap, Sakura flipped backwards, drawing another batch of shuriken and landed lightly on the ground, dashing around and trying to anticipate the snake's movements so she could use her weapons most effectively.

Sasuke and Charmeleon started launching attacks the instant they realized the danger, peppering the beast with fire, though it did little good against the creature's tough hide.

The heat did attract the snake's attention though, since it's orders were quite specific as to which human was important.

In fact, it's summoner was quite specific as to the fate it would suffer if the pink one were to die...

Not something it wanted to risk, especially with the binding seal Orochimaru had forcibly applied, preventing them from returning to the Ryuuchi Cave until dismissed.

Accordingly, it turned it's malevolent glare on the Uchiha and his fireballing partner.

The two raced around the snake like two points of a triangle, with Sakura and her stinging knives making the third, lobbing fire and blades at it uselessly, while Eevee continued streaking around in a blur of teeth and claws.

The snake lunged at Sasuke, but the agile Uchiha dodged, sending a fistful of shuriken into the soft lining of it's mouth.

It twitched wildly, unable to pursue as the weapons discharged their cargo of electricity almost directly into the beast's brain.

But while the attack would have surely been enough to send it scampering back to it's home, with the seal trapping it, it merely fell prone as it tried to command it's muscles to obey.

Not willing to let such an opportunity pass, Charmeleon used Hone Claws, and charged the downed pokemon, three glowing, supernaturally sharp claws leading. (_Rock Smash)_

Rather than deflect the attack as it had so many others, the snake's scales shattered under the assault, leaving a hole in it's natural armor nearly three feet across.

The snake shrieked in pain, a sound no normal reptile would be capable of, and Charmeleon hopped back to do it again.

And again.

And again.

Charmeleon darted in and out, both sets of claws shining with the energy of his attacks, and every hole punched in the serpent's defenses was one more target for the rest of the team to hit.

Fire, steel, tooth and claw. All battered into the beast, subjecting it to more pain than any creature should suffer, let alone a sentient summoned one who would normally have an easy escape.

So great was the snake's torment that it would have gladly fled, eagerly begged for mercy, anything to end it.

But the attackers were merciless, and the serpent couldn't think through the pain well enough to remember human speech.

The genin were driven by fear and desperation, thinking correctly that this might be another of the kunoichi's attacks.

When the serpent's end came, it was a blessing compared to the eternal minutes prior.

Using Dig, Eevee had bored through the thick layer of muscle beneath a patch of broken scales. Once past the protective meat, Eevee had unfettered access to the beast's vulnerable vitals, and it didn't take long for her to put it down permanently.

Eevee emerged from another section of broken scales, gasping for air and covered in gore, after having used Quick Attack to traverse the beast, destroying half the organs within as she looked for it's massive heart.

Eevee shook herself off, and trotted over to her partner, who looked more than a little ill at how her pokemon had turned the snake's size advantage against it.

"Char! Charmeleon, char char!" The strongest of Team Seven's pokemon said, with obvious pride for his mammalian cousin.

Charmeleon's compliment, (for what else would it be?) shook Sakura out of her daze, and she knocked clear the cobwebs of her surprise.

"Yeah... Yeah! Good job Eevee, you really showed that slimy snake who's boss!" She cheered a bit uneasily. "Right Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke cleared his throat, looking a little green at the way Eevee's normally fluffy tail scattered gore with every happy wag.

"You did well," he said lightly, trying to seem unimpressed. Afterall, she couldn't have done it without Charmeleon's assistance.

"Chaaar," his pokemon hissed, mouth open in a reptilian grin.

The crackle of breaking scales, a familiar sound by now, dragged their attention back to the snake, just in time to see the creepy kunoichi rise though the top of it's skull.

Rather than flee, the four members of Team Seven dropped into fighting stances, their spirits bolstered by the relatively easy victory against her minion.

They had been scared before, but if she'd been controlling the giant snake somehow, as seemed readily apparent, there had to be a reason.

She had found them rather easily the first time, so using the snake for it's better-than-human senses was unlikely.

From what little they knew about the reptiles, the only other qualities that might be of value were it's speed and combat prowess, and any ninja could outrun any simple animal, though some pokemon would still leave them in the dust.

But if it was so easily defeated, then even that was a waste of chakra, unless she was hoping to tire them out killing it... in which case she would be sorely disappointed.

Sasuke and Sakura were both smart enough to do the math in this circumstance, and it added up to one easy fact: The kunoichi was worried that they might fight if she found them again.

Which meant that she was worried that they could hurt her.

And they had every intention of doing just that.

* * *

Orochimaru was intrigued, amused, and annoyed.

He was annoyed, because despite their defeating his pet, killing it rather than simply forcing it back to it's own plane of existence, Sasuke had revealed very little of his own strength.

A couple fire techniques, some typically flawless projectile attacks, and that simple, if effective lightning jutsu he'd used with his shuriken.

His skin still tingled a bit from when it flashed over him, hidden within the serpent.

The amusement came from the fact that they now seemed to think they could stand against him.

As if defeating one little serpent gave them the confidence to think they could fight off one whom all but the greatest of the snake summons feared.

He who was capable of delivering them to true death.

But intrigue was foremost in his mind, for the genin had fought hard against the summon, but seemed barely winded, and he was certain Sasuke was still holding back the lion's share of his ability.

And to be honest, the pink-haired one and her ruthless little Eevee had proven surprisingly capable.

Nowhere near enough of a pedigree to make a body out of, even overlooking the indignity of being stuck with hair that color, but he'd recruited less promising individuals into his personal village.

Weak ninja were so deliciously grateful to whomever gave them the strength to take what they felt they deserved out of life.

Perhaps he would offer her a place as well, if Sasuke saw fit to bring her along when he inevitable sought him out in his search for power.

"Finally done running are we?" 'She' asked.

"You would just keep looking for us," Sasuke replied coldly. "So we might as well settle it here and now."

"Sasuke-kun's right," Sakura agreed. "That jutsu, or whatever it was, that let you control the snake had to be a high level technique, so we'd be fools to let you get away while you're still weak from using it."

Orochimaru blinked, and them smiled, and though it was a brittle thing that would make all manner of cute things whimper in fear, it was genuine. He was pleased they weren't as stupid as he'd thought.

He did know a few jutsu that would allow him to control subjects in such a manner, but even the most crude would push a strong genin to their limits.

The Yamanaka had their own jutsu to do the same, but theirs had been too well secured for him to steal before fleeing Konoha.

Not that he tried very hard. It was far more satisfying to manipulate his lessers into acting how he wanted... Not that he didn't enjoy using a fair amount of old fashioned threats and pain to do so.

That they were able to identify this potential weakness spoke well for them, and their ability to think through their fear. Had he actually been a genin, they would likely be correct in their theory, and he would be forced to flee for his life.

Of course, if they knew who they truly faced, they might just kill themselves in despair, rather than continue their foolish course.

"So... the little mouse had slain a worm, and now seeks to defeat the dragon, eh Sasuke-kun?" He asked, enjoying the Uchiha's slight flinch at the affectionate suffix.

"I'll show you who's a mouse!" Sakura replied angrily, signing a jutsu and slapping the ground.

A bubble of earth rose beneath her hands, distorting weirdly until with a loud pop, a chunk the size of a dinner plate burst free and rocketed toward him, driven by the force of water pressure she'd built up behind it.

Most ninja would have dodged, or countered with a jutsu of their own, but most ninja weren't Sannin.

Orochimaru lazily lifted a hand and caught the projectile, though it hit with rather respectable force.

He held the stone in place, using it to scatter the jutsu-driven stream of water as well, sighing at the weak attack and shutting his eyes against the spray.

Maybe they would do something interesting with the opening?

Once the water stopped, Orochimaru threw the now conical stone at Charmeleon, foiling the pokemon's attempted charge, though it did release a stream of fire instead of whatever it had initially planned, Orochimaru leapt away from both that, and the gore and dirt covered Eevee who erupted from the ground at his feet, jaws snapping together uselessly.

He flipped through the air in a graceful display that would have beggared Anko's earlier show of agility, and landed on an intact section of the fallen tree, opening his eyes and locking gazes with Sasuke as he bowed tauntingly.

Sasuke stood with a lungful of air and one hand poised before his mouth.

Orochimaru tried not to grin as he awaited the next display of jutsu prowess.

"Phoenix flower jutsu!" Sasuke yelled, firing a continuous line of fireballs at his foe.

Orochimaru nearly cursed aloud. He had already seen that one, and it had felt like the Uchiha was preparing something unusual, at least when he was focused on sensing the boy's chakra.

He twitched out of the way of the attacks, not even particularly large ones, he noted irritably.

Unperturbed, Sasuke kept up his attack, not even looking disappointed that none had connected, or that his foe hadn't bothered to flee more than a few feet in any direction, due to the poorly aimed projectiles.

In fact, he seemed quite pleased with himself, despite the number of fireballs that now smoldered sullenly on the fallen tree around Orochimaru.

He learned why after Sasuke fired off a rapid set of four small ones, before bringing his second hand forward, twisted into an odd claw-like shape.

"Gale Palm!" Sasuke roared, releasing the chakra he'd been diverting into the second attack since starting the Phoenix Flower jutsu.

The wind jutsu overtook the still airborne balls of flame with the speed of a freight train, fanning them into an inferno, which only intensified as it met and consumed the rest that hadn't burned out.

Orochimaru watched the wall of fire approach with something akin to wonder.

Using two jutsu of different elements simultaneously? Simply remarkable, especially at such a young age!

Yes, if he hadn't decided already, this would have clinched it. Sasuke Uchiha had far too much potential to be left in this worthless village.

So involved he was in his scheming, that Orochimaru almost forgot to dodge, only replacing himself with a mud clone at the last instant, and appearing in a nearby tree to watch the carnage.

Orochimaru licked his lips in anticipation as he saw the full scope of the destruction. A line of fire nearly twenty meters long, apparently the limit of his control over the wind jutsu.

Then Charmeleon, who had held back since the fireballs started flying, joined the attack, and Orochimaru drooled at the devastation.

The fire pokemon launched a spiraling line of fire into the center of the conflagration, and within seconds the whole burning mass had become a spinning column of fire laid out along the ground. _(Fire Spin)_

The combined effort continued until Sasuke was sure anything alive within the attack would have been burned to ash before he and Charmeleon ended it.

The two scanned the damage for a moment, before settling to the ground with a groan.

Orochimaru couldn't believe his luck. This boy had the potential strength to surpass, no crush, Itachi!

A ninja for less than a year and already this strong? Magnificent!

Though he would have to be cautious... permitting him to grow too strong too fast could be dangerous...

It wouldn't do for him to become to powerful to be possessed... but that was a worry for another day.

"Kukukukuku," he laughed loudly, and the ridiculous sound instantly drew the team's eyes to him. "That was most... Exhilarating, Sasuke-kun. You truly are the first among your peers..."

"H-How!" Sasuke cried, rising to his feet unsteadily. "You should be dead!" Sasuke had been confident that particular attack would be able to end anyone!

"Oh Sasuke, I'm hurt that you would think so little of me," Orochimaru replied, putting one hand to his heart in feigned pain. "And after I already told you that I'm stronger than that decrepit old man you call a Kage too."

"Y-yeah right. Why would someone that strong be stuck taking the genin exams then?" Sakura asked pointedly.

"Why?" Orochimaru repeated. "Because I'm looking for something of course... I'm searching for special ninja... Ninja who can benefit from my... unique... form of training."

As he spoke, he looked right into Sasuke's eyes, letting some of his disguise drop, and watching for a spark of interest in the boy.

He wasn't disappointed.

Look out below!" A voice shouted, breaking the moment, and the curiosity in Sasuke's eyes turned to recognition and smug satisfaction in a blink.

"Hurry up lady, we gotta get out of here!" The voice continued from the branch beside him.

Orochimaru turned to the person with a snarl, but caught only a glimpse of yellow and orange before being blinded by a flash of bright blue light, which became an odd, damp, darkness.

* * *

Minutes Earlier:

Sasuke saw his chance when the kunoichi shut her eyes, and he grabbed it.

With one hand, he formed Haku's bird seal, molding chakra for the jutsu he'd 'borrowed' from Naruto with the sharingan.

With the other, he'd formed the seals for the Phoenix Flame jutsu.

He'd avoided the problem of confusing the seals for that particular jutsu by only practicing it with the one handed ones.

So, while the Grand Fireball, which he'd being using since childhood, still gave him trouble, he had all but perfected the more complicated Phoenix Fire.

The idea of blending two jutsu was a result of one of Kakashi's lessons, demonstrating his philosophy of 'The team is stronger than the individual' by getting the boys to combine their jutsu, resulting in an attack that literally took Sasuke's breath away.

Predictably, Sasuke had asked if it was possible for one ninja to do both sides of the combo, though he hadn't actually admitted to already knowing the Gale Palm.

Kakashi had explained that it was possible, but the required focus made it unrealistic for most genin to achieve, despite the potential advantages they would have using Haku's seals.

Of course, then he mentioned that it was one of the things the Sandaime was famous for.

That caught the Dobe's attention, and he managed to make his first two handed Gale palm in just over a week.

Kakashi had been impressed, but not significantly, due to the fact that using the same jutsu twice really wasn't what he meant, since it was arguably just splitting one jutsu into two parts.

But he did advise Naruto to find ways to use the tactic, leading to a number of odd experimental tangents, and a few actual gems.

Sasuke took Naruto's success as a direct challenge. If the dead last could do it, then the rookie of the year could top it, easily.

So, rather than learn the Dragon Flame jutsu as he'd intended, he set about learning to harness the more powerful, if less manipulable, elemental combo.

It had taken weeks. Long, frustrating weeks, especially with the effort he'd put in to keeping it secret, but he eventually managed to create one.

By forming the Gale Palm first, and holding it back in a manner similar to how he stored the Suji Jiinto, he could divert his attention towards the Phoenix Flame jutsu, and release the wind while the attack was still in the air.

It wasn't nearly as powerful as the kind he could make with Naruto's assistance, and it was still too slow to use an any but the most desperate of circumstances, but this overly proud kunoichi would be the perfect test for it.

She avoided the team's attacks with contemptuous ease, including the first deceptively aimed fireballs, but the surprise on her face when he called out the name of Naruto's wind technique...

He hoped Itachi's final expression was half as satisfying.

Sasuke nodded to Charmeleon, and the pokemon launched a vortex of flame into the inferno, using his Fire Spin to impart a similar rotation to the larger column, mimicking the effect Naruto could achieve with one of his Twin Gale Palm variations.

They had learned that the spinning motion enhanced the attack, making it burn hotter and longer thanks to the vacuum it caused, while simultaneously preventing anything within from escaping easily.

They continued the attack for more than a minute, as Sasuke drained his chakra as far as he felt he could risk, wanting to ensure the horrid kunoichi was truly dead.

Sasuke watched for a long moment, searching for any movement that might signify survival, but when nothing happened, save the crackle of burning wood, he sat down heavily.

It would be a bad idea to remain here long, especially after the attack, which anyone within a kilometer probably noticed, but he needed to catch his breath.

"Kukukukuku," eerie laughter rang out, neither voice nor direction disguised as the kunoichi taunted them once again.

Sasuke locked eyes with her as she continued.

"That was most... exhilarating, Sasuke-kun. You truly are the first among your peers," she said, leering down at him creepily.

"H-how!" He asked, cursing himself for being intimidated by her. "You should be dead!"

"Oh Sasuke, I'm hurt that you would think so little of me," she replied, pressing her hand to her heart in a mockery of real pain. " And after I already told you that I'm stronger than that decrepit old man you call a Kage too."

"Y-yeah right," Sakura said, trying to hold onto her courage as she argued the woman's claim. "Why would someone that strong be stuck taking the genin exams?"

"Why?" The grass ninja repeated, locking eyes with Sasuke once more. "Because I'm looking for something of course... I'm searching for special ninja... Ninja who can benefit from my... unique... form of training."

As the kunoichi spoke, her voice changed, becoming slightly more masculine, though it still seemed to slither through the air unpleasantly.

Her eyes changed as well. Rather than the dead gray eyes he'd seen so many times today, they became yellow, like dirty gold, and the cat-like slits grew more defined.

Despite himself, despite this... person's threats to steal his eyes, Sasuke couldn't deny a degree of interest in the offer.

"Look out below!" A familiar voice called, as Naruto landed next to the grass ninja, and Sasuke knew they would be able to escape easily with his help.

"Hurry up lady, we gotta get out of here!" Naruto said, reaching out to grab the feminine looking ninja's arm.

Sasuke wanted to slap the Dobe.

Did he not realize who he was trying to help?

The ninja's pale face twisted in anger as they turned to Naruto, and Ralts proved yet again who was the brains in that particular duo by teleporting them away an instant before they touched.

Half a breath later, a giant snake, frustrated and angry, swallowed their foe whole.

It had been so focused on the irritating blond, that it never noticed the second person, only taking a sense of personal satisfaction in finally catching the brat.

The first warning it had of the mistake was when it heard the kid start yelling from outside if it's belly.

It's second was Orochimaru's rather forceful exit from said belly.

Only two good things came of these facts: First, it didn't have time to actually realize it's imminent demise.

And second: Orochimaru didn't think to leave the snake alive so he could properly repay it for the indignity of being eaten by his own summon.

* * *

"What the hell?" Naruto exclaimed when he realized what Ralts had done. "Why'd you do that? Now she's gonna get eaten!"

He was prevented from rescuing the victim when both Sasuke and Sakura grabbed him.

"_She was going to hurt you,"_ Ralts replied simply. _"Now she cannot."_

"And that's not even counting the stuff she's been trying to do to us," Sakura added tartly. "Feeding that bitch to a giant snake is better than she deserves, even if it is poetic justice."

"But now we can't take her scroll," Sasuke pointed out sourly.

"Believe me, I'd rather have to take one from Kakashi-sensei than deal with that Psycho again," Sakura replied with a shudder.

Before Naruto could ask what they were talking about, he was answered, as the snake, which had just realized it's mistake, exploded into a shower of meat, organs, and blood.

In the center of the bloody rain that was all that remained of one of the snake clan's swiftly rising hunters, stood Orochimaru, disguise fully abandoned and a look of anger on his face.

"I am no longer amused." Orochimaru stated coldly.

Standing there in all his dark glory was one of the three legendary sannin, and the only leaf traitor more notorious than Itachi, and Sasuke no longer doubted his boasts of strength.

Power encircled him like a cloak, and they had been foolish enough to anger him.

"You're okay!" Naruto called happily, earning shocked looks from every ninja and pokemon present, including Ralts, who could now sense the man's vile nature, and Orochimaru himself, who hadn't received such a reaction to his presence since abandoning the Leaf twenty years before.

"Naruto, you idiot!" Sasuke swore, at the same time Sakura exclaimed "That person is evil!"

* * *

_'Naruto? Now where have I heard that name before?' _Orochimaru wondered, as he let the genin argue out their differences.

The boy's sheer audacity had drained a large amount of his anger, leaving curiosity in it's wake.

Well, obviously it had been mentioned in the report he'd received from Kabuto, which he hadn't bothered to read all the way through.

Kabuto was an excellent spy, but really, why would anyone need a report of over a hundred pages just for three genin?

Even reading only Sasuke's, it was still over forty pages of mostly useless information, including birth records and vaccination reports.

Being thorough is all well and good, but damn, he didn't care about an ear infection Sasuke had when he was two, though the case of pinkeye he'd had at six might have been more worrisome.

In contrast, the training reports had been most satisfying, if less detailed and frequent than he would have preferred after the boy left the academy.

And his Psychological profile marked him as quite nearly the perfect recruit for Sound's 'Accelerated Learning Program'.

But the other two?

He'd never bothered to read beyond the first couple paragraphs of each.

A kunoichi with excellent theoretical skills and sub-par practicals, and a dead-last near dropout.

Hell, the boy wouldn't have even passed if he hadn't stopped some traitor...

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed in realization as a few memories connected properly.

Of course! Mizuki had wanted to kill some 'Fox brat' before leaving Konoha, and this brat just happened to be promoted in an unusual manner at the same time as Mizuki's arrest.

Years of subtle searching with Akatsuki, and only when he'd put that wretched organization behind him did he find Kyuubi's jinchuuriki.

The world must have an amazing sense of irony.

He considered killing the boy as a final 'Fuck you' to that delusional deity wanna be, but such petty vengeance would only cause trouble in the long run.

If they found out, the current members of Akatsuki could be... inconvenient to avoid.

Not to mention it would disqualify poor Sasuke-kun.

Which actually might be a good push towards his decision to seek out the power he'd been offered, but that might backfire if the emotionally unstable boy blamed the wrong person...

Besides, fighting people he could actually beat would be a good test for the boy's skills.

Oh well, the identity of the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki might be worth a favor or two, if he contacted his old comrades. He would have to look into it.

Though it was hard to believe a perceptive former Anbu like Itachi wouldn't have already identified the boy, even before leaving Konoha...

Most curious...

_'Oh look, the brat finally looks like he's getting it through his head who the enemy is. Might as well get the show going... So much to do today...'_

* * *

"I must admit, when I sent that snake after you, I didn't expect to see you again so soon... or to see the snake again in such an... unpleasant manner," Orochimaru taunted blandly, flicking a loose scrap of flesh from his shoulder. "I commend you for finding such an unexpected method in which to eliminate an opponent."

"That was you!" Naruto yelled in reply. "That thing almost ate Ralts-chan!"

"It almost ate you too, moron!" Sasuke said, since Ralts was too busy slapping her forehead,

Her partner was getting smarter, but he still didn't have the good sense of a Psyduck some days.

"Well, that is what I sent it to do," Orochimaru replied easily. "And I am most displeased that it failed so utterly in so simple a task, but I suppose death is a sufficient punishment..."

"A bit late if it wasn't," Sasuke muttered callously.

"You wanted it to eat me an' Ralts-chan?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Yes." Orochimaru confirmed, seriously questioning how this kid managed to graduate in the first place. "I also planned to have it eat the pink trash and her pokemon as well, but that tree got in the way..." He added, glaring at Sakura.

"Here's the cliff notes, Naruto: He's evil, we need to beat him or get the hell out of here," Sakura said in an aggrieved tone.

"And he's a crossdresser," Sasuke added, earning a glower from Orochimaru, and a snicker from Sakura.

Naruto blinked at Sasuke like he'd grown a second head. Since when did the Teme banter with people?

"Stop gawking and get us the hell out of here!" Sasuke whispered harshly.

Not even waiting for her partner's cue, Ralts began to glow blue, obviously eager to be away.

But of course, Orochimaru wasn't about to let his prey just leave without saying goodbye, and so he offered them a parting gift in the form of a kunai, launched straight at the little psychic type's head.

Careful not to break contact with the group, knowing it would leave him stranded when the teleport activated, Sasuke fired off a weapon of his own to intercept the Sannin's.

The opposing kunai got tangled in the air, spinning wildly and revealing two more, flying side by side in the first's shadow.

Before Sasuke or the others could act, the pair of kunai struck the spinning blade of one of the clashing weapons, forcing them apart and down as the edge cut through the slight space between them.

The twinned kunai flashed by on opposite sides of Sasuke's head, so close he felt the wind of their passing, and struck with heavy thumps behind him.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, an instant after the blond cried out in pain, and an instant before the blue light signifying Ralts' teleport filled the battlefield.

But when the light faded, Sasuke was still staring into the smug eyes of Orochimaru.

He glanced back to see Naruto, still standing with his teeth clenched against the pain, and his hand still tightly gripping Sakura's hand and Charmeleon's horn.

The two kunai had stabbed into his shoulders, just below his collar bone, and right where the straps for Ralts' carrier usually were.

Of the pokemon and her modified backpack, there was no sign.

"I certainly hope you have a plan B," Orochimaru taunted conceitedly.

"Sakura, help Naruto. Charmeleon and I will try to buy some time for Ralts to get back," Sasuke said grimly, reactivating his sharingan.

"But... wouldn't it be better if we all fight? We've seen how strong he is..." She replied, though she did begin seeing to Naruto's stab wounds.

"No, I think the only chance we have is distracting him, and he's been targeting me this whole time," Sasuke replied.

"Yeah, because he wants to gouge out your eyes!" Sakura countered.

"If that was all he wanted, we'd have been dead a long time ago," Sasuke explained. "After our little mishap in Wave, I got my hands on a bingo book, so I'd be prepared if it ever happened again."

"That," he continued, gesturing to his opponent, "is Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin. Every genin in this forest could attack him at once and he wouldn't even break a sweat."

"Guilty as charged," Orochimaru confirmed, with a superior smile and taunting bow. "But please, make it more interesting: Every genin and chunin in Konoha."

"But the jounin would make you work?" Sasuke replied questioningly.

"Oh, not at all, but it would be unpleasant to end so many mature bloodlines. It's always such a tragedy when a powerful kekke genkai ceases to be, wouldn't you agree, Sasuke?"

The second to last Uchiha flinched, and neither Sakura nor Orochimaru missed it, but despite the well aimed barb, or perhaps because of it, Sasuke didn't hesitate to attack.

Though as he did, he hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake.

* * *

Sakura frowned as she focused on treating Naruto's wounds, and tried to ignore the sounds of fighting around her.

The stabs weren't as deep as they could have been, probably because they'd had to punch through the heavily reinforced straps of Ralts' carrier first.

One thing she had to admit about Naruto: He didn't skimp on his friends' safety.

The pack cost more than his entire camping set, but it had the "Guy Might seal of approval', which apparently meant it was the next best thing to indestructible, during normal use anyway.

Unfortunately, her discoveries weren't all of the pleasant sort, if the angrily inflamed skin around the wounds meant what she thought it did.

It didn't take a genius to recognize the silvery sheen on the two kunai as a toxin of some sort, and she silently thanked Naruto for his obsessive desire to be prepared for every eventuality that he learned of from Iruka-sensei.

Specifically, it was only because of a recent lesson about poison techniques, which was apparently inspired by a discussion on the defensive potential of wind jutsu, but as a result, Naruto had added a stock of simple antitoxin to his first aid kit, which he'd shared with his team when they realized the snakes the crazy proctor lady mentioned might be venomous.

Using her kunai, she carefully sliced the wound open a bit more, and tried sucking out some of the poison, though she wasn't sure how much good it would do, especially since a tourniquet wasn't really possible, given the placement of the injuries.

But anything was better than sitting on her thumbs while Sasuke risked life and limb fighting one of the strongest ninja she'd ever heard of.

When she was confident she's done as much good as she could with that method of treatment, she broke the seals on two of the three antidote vials Naruto had given her, and applied one to each wound.

They were designed in such a way that the contents could be forced into the bloodstream with a bit of chakra, and that was child's play for someone with her control, so the chemical cocktail was injected in seconds.

She only hoped the unknown poison Orochimaru had used wouldn't be resistant to such a commonplace treatment.

* * *

Within the drug induced haze of Orochimaru's neurotoxin, Naruto woke in his own bed and staggered to his feet.

Never one to do things simply, Orochimaru had used a combination paralytic and hallucinogen, which would force his victim's allies to help them, thereby eliminating two targets with one weapon, at least against all but the most ruthless of attacking teams.

Plus, while the paralytic was potent enough to be eventually fatal, it usually took long enough for him to collect and treat any interesting test subjects before such an unfortunate loss occurred.

The hallucinogen was usually just a backup plan for anyone who might go through the effort of building up a tolerance to more standard poison types, though it was always so amusing to watch an effected ninja attack his own allies while trapped in the ultimate drug trip.

And in this case it should keep the brat from focusing enough to use his biju's chakra to purge the poisons.

Of course, Naruto didn't know any of this, as he stumbled drunkenly to his door, knowing he had to be somewhere, and doing something, important, but unable to remember what.

He threw open the door, silently apologizing to his old friend as he fell against the balcony rail to look out at a Konoha that was somehow... wrong.

His sense of unease growing, Naruto rushed back inside, searching for Ralts.

Her carrier hung on the hook by Door, but the little pokemon was nowhere to be found, and his frantic cries went unanswered.

In a panic, he fled his home, racing full tilt through the deserted streets and over silent rooftops towards the Hokage's tower.

He arrived to find an equally worrying sight: The tower was completely devoid of life.

No guards. No secretaries. No Jiji.

There wasn't any sign of struggle either. Not a single piece of paper was out of place, as far as he could tell anyway, though Jiji's desk was unusually clean. It was as if everyone just got up and walked away.

Everywhere he went was the same: Iruka-sensei's house, Touji's Shop, the Hughes' house, even Ichiraku's stall, though he did help himself to a to-go bowl of the deliciousness simmering on the stove, promising to pay them back when he found them.

Even Sakura and Sasuke weren't at their homes, or they were really determined to ignore his pounding on their doors.

He had just reached their training ground, hoping against expectation that somebody he knew would be there, when he realized something that must be important: He didn't remember the trip from Sasuke's place.

Running back to the Hokage's tower was the same way. A trip that should have taken nearly twenty minutes was over in a blink...

Leaping to the top of the Tower, he looked around. All the important places were in their rightful spots, but the space between those few precious locations was somehow wrong.

There was nothing he could point at and say 'There, that's the problem', but it was still there.

It was as if all the streets and houses he passed each day had become fuzzy and indistinct, like they had forgotten what they should look like.

Inoichi Yamanaka, or any other mind-delving ninja could have explained it to him, but they were few and far between.

Naruto now looked upon his mindscape, as it had formed naturally within his psyche, revealing truths he'd normally be uncomfortable admitting.

Konoha was his life, even at his core, but he had willfully blinded himself to all but that which most exemplified his love of the village.

That which he adored existed as real as life, but the things which represented the gloomy side of his home, and childhood, had been subconsciously pushed away, until he had a mental map which was imperfect and unsettling.

Deciding he needed a better view, one which he'd nearly burned into his memory over the years, Naruto headed for the Hokage Monument, again arriving in too-short a time.

He drew to a stop upon the giant carved depiction of the Yondaime, gaping at the massive crevice leading down into the stone behind the spikes of petrified hair.

This was definitely not here the last time he'd visited, so it had to relate to the mystery at hand.

Dismissing his initial reason for coming, not that viewing the misty, shifting streets he'd have seen would have helped, Naruto descended into the cavern beyond the narrow crack.

As he traveled, the cave's walls smoothed out into what looked more like a giant pipe, which combined with the strangely damp conditions gave him the impression of a labyrinthine sewer.

The sense of the forbidden was oppressive, and his breath came with more and more difficulty as time passed, though he learned that if he followed the right pathways, it became easier to bear.

He would have worried more, if he knew the cause of this contradictory comfort, but instead he was just grateful that the 'correct' tunnels were easily identified, due to their strange illumination, lit as they were with light that shifted from blue to purple to red as he progressed deeper.

He sighed in relief when he finally reached what he decided must be the heart of the strange maze, a plain looking room who's only distinguishing characteristics were the sheer scale it was built to, and the series of thick bars cutting across the room a few meters in.

It was hard to be certain in the uneven light, but he had a sneaking suspicion that the room was taller than the mountain that apparently housed it, which paired unpleasantly with the feeling he'd had that the tunnels he came through went further than the mountain was thick as well.

Curious, and feeling that strange shortness of breath building up once again, Naruto moved further into the room, creeping up to the bars and peering through warily.

Within, he could make out something that looked like a large hill, which seemed to be the origin of the oddly rhythmic rushing sound that he'd decided was the sound of water moving through pipes.

Naruto watched, trying to decipher what he was seeing, wondering at one point if he'd found one of those underground springs that water bottles always claimed to come from.

That would explain the pipes he'd seen, but they started looking really dirty once the light turned red, certainly not the sort of things he would want to drink from.

But then the hill moved.

One long, sinuous tail lifted from the mound, moving to scratch lazily at another spot.

Once he realized it wasn't yet another snake, Naruto tried to determine what it might be, and how it got stuck in a cage in the mountain.

The proctor said something about a bear as big as a house, and this was certainly big enough to qualify, but bears had stubby tails. Maybe it was a dog or something? Inuzuka Ninja dogs had to come from somewhere, and some got really big too, right?

Remembering the crazy proctor kick-started his memory of the forest, and the events immediately prior to waking up in his bed in this freaky version of Konoha.

Could that freaky guy have hit him with a genjutsu or something? He remembered kunai, and thinking he should fire a gale palm at them, but not sure how without his hands free, and not willing to release one and risk leaving his friends stranded.

And then there was pain... and then he woke up in his bed in this weird version of Konoha...

As he was puzzling through the events, and before decide if this most unusual circumstance actually was a genjutsu, the beast shifted in it's sleep.

It stretched lazily, yawning with a canine mouth full of huge teeth, and a mass of extra tailed rose up around it, extending to truly unbelievable lengths in the apparently huge room before wrapping back around it.

Naruto wanted to scream, but couldn't force it past his tightened throat.

Naruto wanted to run, but was pretty sure that if he tried to move away from the bars he was leaning against, his fear-jellied legs wouldn't support him.

"K-K-Kyuubi!" Naruto stammered, dread and that odd pressure he'd been outrunning making the title come out as a whispered croak.

Despite the weakness of the call, the Kyuubi responded, eyes flashing open and locking on Naruto.

Never breaking eye contact, the immense Biju rose, and regally stepped closer to the bars, sitting on it's haunches far enough away that Naruto could tell it wouldn't be able to reach him easily with claw, jaw or even tail.

"So... My newest jailor has finally sought me out... To what do I owe this displeasure?" It said in a tone of strained tolerance. The boy's arrival in his mindscape caused enough of a disturbance to draw it from it's slumber, but it wouldn't do to let the jinchuuriki know he'd been expected.

Naruto, looking up to the monster, which was taller than anything he'd ever seen, tried to step away, to turn and run, but his legs had turned to rubber, and he collapsed to the ground a bare stride away from the bars.

Instantly, the oppressive weight slammed into him, stealing his breath and leaving him prone and twitching.

The Kyuubi eyed him, gaze calculating, before sighing and sweeping one majestic tail in his direction.

A miasma of red energy surged through the bars and crashed into, and through, Naruto, obliterating the pressure and leaving new strength in it's wake.

"What did you do to me?" Naruto asked suspiciously after a few deep breaths and a cursory inspection for fox-like influence.

"Saved your contemptible hide, I would think," Kyuubi replied condescendingly. "Unless you simpering simians have finally overcome your ridiculous dependence on air."

"I-I'm dying?" Naruto asked frightfully. "How? Why? Is that why I'm here?"

"You w_ere_ dying," Kyuubi corrected. "Some crude poison or other. Hardly worthy of notice for one such as myself. And yes, in a sense, it is why you are here."

"And where is 'Here'?" Naruto continued asking. "And how the heck do I get back? I gotta help the others!"

"Do you know nothing? This is your mind, fleshling. Vacuous as is may be, this place represents all that you know and are," Kyuubi explained frustratedly.

"My mind?" Naruto repeated, more to affirm the idea to himself... it was a pretty major concept afterall. "Wait, why the heck are you here? You're supposed to be in my belly!" He realized quickly.

"The seal which binds my exalted strength does not lead to your soup soaked stomach, it leads to your chakra core, which itself is tied to your body and mind equally. You were only able to find this place by following those mental pathways to me." Kyuubi growled at the boy's incompetence.

Not that humans truly understood, or cared to learn, about the specifics of sealing a biju within one of their own.

"That better not mean you can poke around in my mind! Or do any weird stuff to my body!" Naruto said angrily.

"As if I'd want to," Kyuubi scoffed. "And even if I were bored enough to try, those same pathways serve to dilute my presence until barely a wisp of my Self remains in the chakra you steal from me."

The Biju conveniently ignored the fact that he was skimming through the boy's memories at just that moment, thanks to the unfiltered chakra he was able to force through the seal in response to the poison.

"Wow! The Yondaime thought of everything!" Naruto replied in awe, himself ignoring the accusation of theft.

"Yes, yes... The toad lover was a magnificent member of your wretched species," Kyuubi admitted, before aiming a vicious smile at his jinchuuriki. "But that seal is still a temporary restraint, nothing more. Eventually, it, or you, will cease to be, and I will be free once more."

"Then why did you save me?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious.

"It would be... inconvenient for me if you were to die at this moment. Besides, I would prefer to be the cause of your demise, child of Kushina, since I lost my chance to eat that insufferable woman," he added with a feral grin.

Actually, he had considered letting the poison run it's course, at least until a few minutes of suffocation ended the higher brain functions, but it was a risk he couldn't really take, since he could tell the boy's teammate had been trying to counter the paralytic manually.

In truth, Naruto's death would cause his own as well, at least temporarily, and like any of the greater Biju, he wished to avoid that if at all possible.

For some unknown reason, when a jinchuuriki was killed, at least by anything other than their Biju, they would be... reborn, for lack of a better word, a period of years later. But something in the process was inherently flawed, as the returned Biju wasn't truly the same being as they had been before.

This was most evidenced by Shukaku, the theoretical weakest of his brethren, who had been driven nearly insane by the repeated 'deaths' he'd suffered at the hands of humanity, until it had become firmly set in his mind that his only way to survive for any length of time was to kill any and all potential threats, a belief it often imposed on it's own jinchuuriki.

The Kyuubi was one of those few to have never experiences that peril, though he understood that he might actually be the only one by now.

Decades of imprisonment within these Uzumaki monkeys certainly kept him out of the loop in his kin's lives.

Naruto had been told of his mother's status as a jinchuuriki, a decision the Hokage made when he learned that Kakashi had talked to him about Kushina.

Sarutobi had hoped that the knowledge, paired with Kakashi's colorful stories about her life, would reassure Naruto, showing him that he had as much chance at a normal and happy life as any other ninja, for however long that life lasted.

Unfortunately, neither one could tell Naruto why Kushina had died, or how the demon fox got past the Yondaime's carefully prepared precautions.

That was another story Naruto was proud of. The freaking Yondaime himself was present for his birth. How awesome was that?

The only real clue they even had were the rumors of a masked sharingan wielder spotted during the conflict, and the knowledge that Madara Uchiha could somehow manipulate the Kyuubi due to a quirk of his dojutsu.

But the odds of even a Senju living as long as Madara would have had to to be present for Naruto's birth were nearly incalculable, even ignoring the reports of his death at the Valley of the End.

"Do you know who killed my mom?" Naruto asked sharply, moving back to the bars eagerly. He may never have known her, but if he could find the person who killed his mother, he felt it was his obligation to do something about it.

It wasn't really revenge... right?

The Kyuubi had a malevolent grin at the spike of anger he felt from Naruto at that question. It wasn't as potent as he had hoped, especially from the son of a woman known as 'The Hot-Blooded Habanero', but it was the only crack he'd felt in the boy's emotional defenses, other than the fear, which was of limited use.

"Of course I know, I was there wasn't I?" The Biju replied dismissively, funneling as much unfiltered youki into Naruto as he could under the influence of the boy's anger. "I may even eat him when I get out, if only for the insult of stealing my chosen prey."

"Who did it?" Naruto asked, his voice surprisingly calm and barely quivering with repressed anger. Honestly, when he asked, he had expected Kyuubi to claim responsibility, but he got the feeling that the demon wouldn't deny it if it had.

"And why should I tell you?" Kyuubi replied, yawning theatrically, and scratching his chest with one claw. "What possible reason would I have to enlighten the person keeping me imprisoned?"

"You owe me for letting you live inside me all these years! Rent's due Furball, so tell me!" Naruto replied harshly.

"Rent? What a ridiculously human concept. I refuse to pay, are you going to evict me now?" The Kyuubi asked with a toothy smile.

Naruto winced, he really didn't expect that to work. He had nothing to threaten or bargain with, other than his own death, which he had a feeling would somehow hurt the Biju, despite it's nonchalance about the poison.

"I thought not," the Kyuubi said, settling back down to sleep. "Go on back to your forest game, and if you let something kill you, try to at least make it something that won't shame me by association."

Anger draining from him, Naruto went slack, leaning his head against one of the bars he'd been bracing himself with. This was his first real taste of vengeful desire, and he could now understand some small part of Sasuke's obsession, and it was a miserable feeling.

The Kyuubi watched Naruto, eyes narrowed to mere slits.

Between the poison, the boy's proximity, and his woefully short-lived anger, he had more pure youki flowing through him than he'd ever had before, but it still wasn't enough to allow the Biju to influence the jinchuuriki sufficiently.

And unfortunately, he'd learned enough about this accursed seal from the inside to know that there were no weaknesses to exploit while he was still entrapped.

His best bet at freedom would be to explore the seal from the other side, where there were bound to be flaws, oversights, or even exploitable processes included.

Hells, just finding a way to bypass than damn filter would change things immensely.

But in order to see, or act, from that side, he'd have to force enough unfiltered chakra through to displace the boy for possession of the flesh they shared.

"You know..." Kyuubi said sleepily, when he noticed the boy preparing to leave, assuming he could figure out how. "I suppose there is something I should tell you about Kushina, and her predecessor."

"What's that?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"Just a rule my first jinchuuriki told Kushina, to help keep her safe when she used my power... Much as I despised the woman, she would want you to know it as well... and it might keep you alive long enough for me to kill you..." Kyuubi replied, sounding half asleep already.

Naruto perked up, leaning in to hear better. Something like that would be important, even if it came from the big furry monster in his belly.

"No matter what you see... No matter what you hear..." Kyuubi said, his voice trailing off as he moved closer to full slumber. "No matter how badly you need the power of the Nine-tailed Fox... Never..."

"Never... ..."

"Never... ... ..."

Naruto leaned in more, straining to hear what the fox was saying, until with an almost audible click, it's eyes shot open.

"Never Pass between the bars of the cage!" It roared, as a wave of red energy surged from the water beneath Naruto and wrapped around his head and shoulders, preventing the boy from pulling the empty gourd he called a head back to the other side.

Kyuubi tugged on him, not expecting to draw him within where he would be vulnerable, in his own mindscape, the boy would eventually outmatch him in a contest of simple force of will, but as long as he remained stuck across the seal-barrier's threshold, his Self could act as a bridge across it.

Youki poured across that bridge as fast as Kyuubi could manage, forming a smaller copy of the Biju as it did.

From the free side, the seal was laughably easy to understand, and destroying it utterly would be the work of mere seconds.

The smaller Kyuubi locked eyes with it's larger self, then nodded at their decision and slashed at the flimsy paper seal with claws, which even so much smaller than they should be, could easily eviscerate an Aggron.

Before the claws connected, a dome of golden energy sprang into being around the seal, destroying the chakra beast's arm as it passed through, and drawing the formerly solid energy into itself.

Kyuubi, both of him, snarled in pain as the relatively insignificant portion of itself simply ceased to be.

Perhaps that toad loving wretch had thought of everything afterall... or at least he'd considered enough to make escape more difficult than it appeared.

Especially since he would never manage to trick the brat into surrendering control this easily again.

It wouldn't have worked at all on Mito or Kushina, one blast of chakra and Naruto would be free, and back in control.

Even the battle of will Kyuubi had forced was swiftly shifting in the brat's favor, slowing the transfer of youki considerably.

Jinchuuriki had too much of an advantage in their own mindscapes, Kyuubi admitted bitterly... Though he wasn't out of tricks himself...

If he couldn't free himself by destroying the seal, then he would do so by destroying the prison itself.

With a thought, Kyuubi used his external self to alter the perception of time within the mindscape.

Even enforcing his will on the boy's mindscape in this limited way was an effort, but a worthwhile one, if it bought him more time on the outside.

Now he just needed to knock a few of the boy's psychological pillars out from under him... How lucky that two of them were so near at hand...

* * *

Sakura sighed in relief when she saw Naruto coming around.

She wasn't sure what Orochimaru had put on those kunai, but it was effective. If she hadn't been here to help, he'd have died from simple suffocation when the poison paralyzed his diaphragm.

She just hoped Naruto never found out she'd given him CPR, or he would never let her live it down...

The entire time she'd been stuck keeping Naruto alive, Sasuke and Charmeleon fought against that creepy guy, though with just the three of them, it seemed more like an intense spar at speeds she could barely even see.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, helping her teammate sit up.

"Indeed I am, Sakura," Kyuubi replied, a bit of a growl in Naruto's voice as he said it. "In fact, I would say I almost feel... free."

Sakura stepped away from Naruto nervously, she wasn't sure if it was the growling syllables or the lack of 'chan' again, but she knew something was wrong.

"Naruto... Why are your eyes red?" She asked, noticing the obvious difference when he smiled at her oddly.

"Haven't you heard? Eyes are the windows to the soul," 'Naruto' replied, flexing his borrowed body, trying to adjust to it's unfamiliar movements.

"You aren't Naruto," Sakura realized.

"My, you really are a genius, _Sakura-chan,_" Kyuubi replied tauntingly. "But enough idle gossip. I am a very busy being, and I'm afraid you have to die now."

_'Sakura-chan! Run!"_

Kyuubi staggered suddenly from the force of Naruto's silent plea, and it took his greater half much too long to reinforce their link once more. There was no way that was all the brat's doing, that damnable seal had to be helping him somehow.

"Not much time..." Kyuubi growled, feeling the strain of containing the boy's mind. "But still more than enough for someone like you!"

With a roar, Kyuubi converted a large portion of his unbound youki into a chakra cloak, claws and fangs growing from the boy due to the unleashed energy.

The instant it was complete, he charged the girl, claws poised to tear her in half.

But even he could be outrun, and Eevee shoved her out of the way with a Quick Attack.

Not completely used to the small body, let alone a bipedal one, Kyuubi had some trouble stopping, and had to slash through a fair sized tree to avoid shattering it or his face in an unpleasant impact.

How something as frail as humanity ever became a dominant species, was a question that had bugged him since his creation.

A number of knives slammed into his cloaked backside, targeting his arms and legs in an obvious attempt to disable him, but mere steel posed no threat to a biju's youki.

"I had thought to end you swiftly. As a kindness," Kyuubi snarled, turning to face the pair once more. "But for that... insolence... I will now kill you slowly."

"I don't know who you are, but you aren't Naruto! Let him go!" Sakura countered bravely, brandishing yet more worthless weaponry.

Kyuubi actually laughed at that, a cruel sound far removed from actual mirth. A weakling such as this thought to threaten him? Greatest of the Biju?

He'd eaten Happiny more intimidating.

"Child, you know not to whom you speak. Submit quietly, and perhaps I will enlighten you, as I tear out your throat," Kyuubi stated, cold promise lacing his words.

The impudent girl's response was to launch her weapons and form a jutsu, and she used the mudwall technique to liquefy the ground beneath Naruto's feet, hoping to contain him long enough to force whoever had possessed him out.

Kyuubi didn't even bother defending, letting the weapons bounce off his cloak even as he sunk to his knees in the muck.

He gave no more attention to the girl, as she reversed her jutsu's effect, drawing the water away and compressing the ground left behind, leaving his legs encased in something not far from sandstone.

A mere thought, and his chakra shattered the trap like cheap porcelain.

"You'll have to do much better than that," Kyuubi advised as he stepped free from the shallow pit left behind. He could sense enough distress from his own prisoner (Oh how joyful a term to think!) at even that simple attack, that he knew the brat might break completely if his precious 'Sakura-chan' were to attack with lethal intent.

Now he was just left to decide which were the surer path to freedom: The girl's murder, which might backfire if the brat became enraged enough to strike back properly, or the depression likely to arise if the girl tried to kill him herself.

Ah, but why not both?

The wretched Uchiha was nearly as vital a touchstone to the brat's sanity, and the Pink-haired harpy would most assuredly fight to protect, or avenge, her obsession.

"Mud Bullet Jutsu!" Sakura called, launching a number of orbs at Naruto.

Kyuubi just rolled Naruto's eyes and moved his cloak's tail to intercept the balls of gunk.

They actually stuck to the energy creation, until the corrosive youki eroded the chakra binding the attack together, at which point the objects fell away, landing with a squelching sound.

"Such pathetic ability," Kyuubi sneered derisively. "It would seem the pale freak has the right idea, or at least the right opponent. I wonder if killing the revered Uchiha will be more of a challenge,"

Kyuubi-Naruto vanished, consuming a measure of his limited chakra to move at a speed which would rival a shunshin.

"And I wonder... do you think Naruto will thank me for eliminating his rival for your empty affections?" Kyuubi whispered in her ear from behind her, disappearing again as she spun a wild slap at him.

"No! Naruto don't! You have to fight it!" Sakura cried into the forest towards where the two pale males fought.

The explosion of youki that formed Naruto's cloak didn't go unnoticed, and neither did his rush towards Sasuke.

When Naruto appeared before the Uchiha, one set of claws aimed to disembowel him, and the other on a path to tear through those hated eyes, it was Orochimaru who stopped him.

Before Kyuubi could make good on the attack, the one true threat to him within the forest grabbed his leg with a hideously long tongue, and swung him through yet another tree, and into a second, where he stuck.

"I'm afraid I still have plans for this one," Orochimaru said smoothly, hiding his disgust at the taste of biju chakra. Diluted as it was, the cloak wasn't able to actually hurt Orochimaru, but it wasn't exactly tasty.

"What makes you think I care?" Kyuubi replied, yanking one arm free of the tree and thrusting it towards Sasuke.

"Get over here!" He roared, as a translucent orange paw shot towards the boy.

The youki claws tore through the log Sasuke had replaced himself with easily, but Kyuubi was forced to forgo further pursuit when Orochimaru attacked him.

"What the hell is Naruto doing?" Sasuke asked, appearing near Sakura, who had chased after the blond.

"I... I don't think it's Naruto," Sakura replied. "Naruto would never act like this. It has to be a mind-transfer jutsu or something that poison did to him. Whatever it is, we have to help!"

"Dammit. As if things weren't bad enough already..." Sasuke cursed.

* * *

Ralts forced herself to focus harder, Naruto was in trouble, she could feel it!

But whenever she tried to pull his location from his mind, she only got the mental equivalent of static, and the few mental calls she received were disjointed and troubling.

Desperate for some connection, some link, she cast her mind towards the rest of her team.

Confusion, worry, anger, fear.

All four of them were full of these emotions, too much so for her to pierce, but she was able to glean enough information to get an idea of what was happening.

Quickly, using what she had learned, Ralts teleported, she had to save her partner, no matter the cost.

* * *

Kyuubi roared in anger and pain.

His plan was falling apart around him, as the Sannin and the damnable children fought him off.

And to make matters worse, their insistence on fighting to capture, rather than destroy, was inspiring the brat himself into greater efforts to break free.

Only the idiot's growing anger at Kyuubi itself gave the biju enough of an anchor to maintain control even this long.

Kyuubi dodged a sword slash from Orochimaru, and where the freak had found a blade capable of not only cutting through his cloak, but actually shearing portions of it away, leaving chunks of himself to fade away rather than return as was proper, was a question for another day.

The dodge sent him straight into a big ball of fire from the Uchiha, an attack almost laughable in it's uselessness.

It was more than enough to surround the more intense ball of blue flame launched by Charmeleon though, and Kyuubi yowled as the napalm-like fire stuck to his cloak, consuming it as easily as kindling. _(Dragon Rage)_

Before he could recover, Eevee slammed into him, her Quick Attack pounding him into the ground mercilessly.

And to make matters worse, it was another of the pink-haired misfit's bogs, though the sticky sludge did manage to douse the blue flames of Charmeleon's attack.

He lay in the hardening mush, only his face and toes free, and cursed silently.

These insects wouldn't pose even the slightest trouble had he been free to use all his power, but bound as he was within inefficient flesh, and with the vast majority of his power sealed away, he was draining his meager reserve more swiftly than he could restore it through the dwindling connection to his greater self.

At this rate, fighting on both a physical and mental front, defeat was inevitable.

Such a turn of events was... distasteful at best.

Very well then. No more kit gloves. It was time to show these vermin what a biju could really do, not that they would live long enough to appreciate the lesson.

A metaphorical drop of youki was enough to shatter his bonds again, and he rose to his feet once more, youki whipping around him like a living thing.

By unspoken assent, his five opponents held back, waiting for his next move... How utterly foolish.

Kyuubi held Naruto's hands out before him, leaving a space of a few inches between them, and fingers spread to form a cage of sorts. The stubby digits weren't as good at directing his energy as proper tails would be, but there was little choice in the matter.

A bit of focus, and Kyuubi's protective cloak exploded in a glorious display, separating into orbs of his own Yang chakra and Naruto's Yin chakra, orbs which streaked down and gathered between his hands.

Truthfully, he wasn't sure how powerful this imperfect Biju Bomb would be, but it should be at least sufficient to destroy these five...

At the moment, he wasn't sure if he even cared whether his prison survived or not.

Easily identifying the aggressive actions, and his current vulnerability, the genin and pokemon resumed their attacks.

Sakura launched more of those sticky blobs of muck, but the ones aimed at his hands were shredded by the curtain of orbs joining the attack's formation.

Eevee darted in with yet another Quick Attack, but at the last moment latched onto his lower hand with her jaws, hanging there kicking her legs and worrying at the limb like it was a favorite bone. _(Bite)_

Charmeleon followed her close, claws shifting to the color of steel opening multiple, but superficial wounds across the borrowed body. _(Metal Claw)_

The Uchiha, as expected from his damnably sneaky clan, slipped away from the group, and Kyuubi could sense the 'Teme' coming in behind him, no doubt planning to stab him in the back.

But Kyuubi couldn't afford to focus on the weaklings. What little attention he could spare from controlling the blend of chakra was dedicated to Orochimaru, the only mortal present who had a chance of stopping him.

Of course, the intellectually gluttonous Sannin was too torn to act.

On one side, he knew he should stop the possessed boy, or flee, since he recognized the fledgling mass of energy as one of a biju's most devastating abilities.

But another side of him really really wanted to see it in action... and then find a way to duplicate it... Jinchuuriki or not, a genin couldn't kill a Sannin, right?

The rest of him was scattered among a number of other thoughts, such as recruiting the kid for Sound, or at least somehow getting him to help destroy Konoha, and wondering if he might be able to get Pein to help him take Itachi's body if he just nabbed the kid and delivered him gift-wrapped.

That would almost be worth doing, just to see the surprise on the deluded deity's face.

Before Orochimaru could decide. Before Sasuke's attack connected. Before Naruto's attack completed... Ralts returned, hovering before her partner's body somehow, and glaring at him.

"_You will not hurt Naruto. Not himself, or by harming his precious people." _She said, righteous fury ringing for all to hear.

"You think you can stop me?" Kyuubi replied snidely, knowing that this puny pokemon was the brat's ultimate weakness. "You can just die with the rest of the worms!"

Without a word, Ralts linked her mind with Naruto's, and the barriers Kyuubi tried to erect to keep her out blew down as the affinity she shared with Naruto overruled his stolen control.

Ralts' will slammed into him, stronger than expected, and growing by the moment.

Kyuubi lashed out at her, expending more youki trying to bend her anger towards his use, trying to sever the psychic pathways she traveled upon, anything to stop her encroachment.

But as old and powerful as the Kyuubi was, Ralts and her ancestors were more closely linked to emotions and the mind than even he, and she blocked him at every turn.

The only thing his blind attack managed to do was shift his hosts' anger from hateful to protective, and Naruto broke free of Kyuubi's greater half in a burst of rage and chakra, severing the lesser completely from the rest.

Lesser Kyuubi burst into the Cage room in Naruto's mind, propelled by a red eyed being coated in blue energy, an exact copy of Ralts' physical appearance at that moment.

The weakened biju portion, now not much larger than Akamaru, due to the amount of energy it had consumed to power the battle, dashed towards the cage, hoping to reunite with his larger self, but fled in another direction when Naruto lunged at it.

It went down with a yelp when a line of electricity snaked it's way across the damp floor, winding around it like a living lightning bolt. _(Thunder Wave)_

Naruto stepped on it's tails, pinning it to the floor as the mini-biju looked to his caged self entreatingly.

A little effort is all it would take for Kyuubi to reclaim the trapped cub. Just by reaching out with some of it's own youki, and the lesser could revert to that energy form and be reclaimed by the original.

But the Kyuubi made no such effort.

The instant the line of youki between them snapped, the creature ceased to be part of the glorious essence known as Kyuubi, and became a newborn demon in it's own right.

Had such a thing happened outside the realm of this boy's mind, the newborn would have either manifest it's own form, or 'infected' an animal and converted it into a demon, rather than remaining trapped in the diminished imitation it wore.

It wasn't impossible to 'reclaim' the energy that formed the newborn, but such things were nearly unheard of, both because it was far too vulgar a deed to consume one's own offspring, and because the personalities of energy based beings tended to meld rather than be diluted.

And even without the implied cannibalism, the Kyuubi wanted nothing to do with a being that stank so much of fear and failure.

The Kyuubi was a being without fear, and nothing would ever change that if he had his way.

"Well, well, well. What are we gonna do with you?" Naruto said, picking up the mini-Kyuubi by the scruff of it's neck.

The former monster locked it's limbs, quivering fearfully as it squeezed it's eyes shut and waited for death. It lacked it's parent's ability to feel negative emotions, but that in no way hindered it's ability to understand the threat in the boy's voice.

In fact, very little of the biju's power or nature continued beyond the newborn's creation, only having been granted the knowledge and skills required for it's rather limited purpose during creation, and having lost access to everything else that was part of the Kyuubi when their link broke.

"You could always feed it to the seal," the caged Kyuubi suggested offhandedly, causing the fox in Naruto's hand to yelp and look at it's creator in dismay.

"_Feed it to the seal? What does he mean?" _Ralts asked, her voice the same as ever, aside from an odd little echo, which Naruto figured he should ask about when things were a bit less pressing, and the glowing, he would definitely have to ask about the glowing.

"That seal," Naruto said, gesturing towards the simple looking slip of paper. "It would destroy it... unless this is some kinda trick..."

"_The little one does not believe it to be,"_ Ralts said, sensing the smaller beast's emotional turmoil easily. _"You would wish death upon your own offspring?"_ She asked, the abhorrence in her voice a clear sign of her opinion on the matter.

"No spawn of mine would show fear for so lowly a pair as yourselves," the Kyuubi replied dismissively. "But enough of this farce. I concede the day to you, human. Enjoy your temporary reprieve, for the next time will not be a reiteration."

"Next time?" Naruto replied, anger sparking enough to draw the Kyuubi's attention, but not enough to grant him a second chance so soon. "There ain't gonna be a next time you furry son of a bitch! You tried to hurt my friends, and I'm never gonna let you try that shit again! You might as well get comfortable, cause if I have anything to say about it, you are _never_ leaving this seal! Ever!"

"Come on Ralts-chan," Naruto said more quietly, turning to leave. "Let's deal with this thing and figure a way to get outta this place... And why you're so glowy..."

Ralts turned away from her study of the Kyuubi, who had settled down to sleep with a gloomy aura, and chased after her partner.

"_Glowy?" _She repeated curiously, looking at herself in amazement. If she had possessed a mouth at that moment, it would have been stretched into a wide grin.

She had called on all the power she possessed, worried that it might be needed to rescue Naruto from the Kyuubi, and apparently ended stronger for the effort.

It was odd that she seemed to be stuck between forms, but the realm of the mind was an unusual place, and the flow of time so inconsistent within, that they might have only been within a fraction of the time it seemed to be.

"Do as you like, and dispose of _that_ however you please," Kyuubi said coldly. "I renounce all association with the wretch."

The tiny fox seemed hurt by the callous remark, but the flash of discomfort from Kyuubi itself caught Ralts by surprise.

"Yeah? Well, I'm sure it doesn't wanna have anything to do with you either!" Naruto yelled defensively. "Lets go Ralts-chan, the company here stinks!"

Naruto turned and stomped out of Kyuubi's prison area, and into his own living room.

He stopped in surprise, and looked behind him, but only Ralts and Door, or at least it's mental replica, were there.

"Okay... that was weird," Naruto muttered.

"_How so?" _Ralts asked carelessly._ "It's your mind, why shouldn't it respond to your wish to leave quickly?"_

"Huh?" Naruto questioned eloquently.

"_Your mind, your world,"_ Ralts simplified. _"What you will, is. If you didn't know that, it's no wonder the Kyuubi caught you."_

Naruto looked crestfallen at that fact, but it didn't last long as a thought occurred to him.

"Big bowl of ramen!" He said, pointing at his table, which instantly vanished, leaving a bathtub sized bowl of the delicious soup in it's place.

Ralts giggled at the wonder in his expression as he dashed over and inhaled a lungful of steam.

"This is the best place ever!" He said, eyeing the giant bowl hungrily. "It is real, right?" He added hopefully.

_"As real as a memory, as mutable as a dream,_" Ralts replied cryptically.

Naruto pondered that a moment, then asked plainly.

"If I eat this, I'm still gonna be hungry when I get out, aren't I?"

"_Afraid so,"_ Ralts replied laughingly.

"Damn," Naruto said, plopping to his butt and trying to cross his arms in a huff.

And whacking himself in the face with the fox pup.

He eyeballed the animal sourly, not liking how fearful it seemed. Demon or not, it made him feel like a darn bully.

"_What will you do with it?"_ Ralts asked, sensing his distress.

Naruto stared at it so long and intensely, that he didn't notice when Ralts vanished from his mindscape, fading instantly without a sound.

After a few mental minutes, Naruto hopped to his feet and opened the door leading to his small balcony.

"Inuzuka Kennel," He said, thinking of the dog pens he'd cleaned a few times as D rank missions, and a lot more often as punishment for things he and Kiba had done in the academy.

The waist high fence surrounding the balcony grew into a box, forming a roof over the small area.

Naruto eyed the fox again calculatingly.

"Bigger," he decided. "Bars closer together too."

The mentally projected enclosure responded to his demands swiftly, and when he was satisfied, Naruto tossed the fox inside and closed the cage door, which had grown along with the roof.

"Lock," He said grimly, and one sprang into existence, sealing the cage shut. "Lock, lock, lock."

Naruto nodded in satisfaction. He may not know a whole lot about this mindscape stuff yet, but he figured it was pretty obvious that he would know if the demon managed to escape, and it shouldn't be too tough to get it back under control with Ralts' help.

"This should hold ya," Naruto decided. "I'll figure out what to do with you later, but try to escape and I might just take the big bastard's advise and stuff you into the seal, so don't try anythin' funny."

The fox nodded sullenly, not looking up at it's captor.

"Good," Naruto said sternly, though his gut twisted at how beaten the animal looked.

Impulsively, he pointed at the fox, which popped into the air a few inches as a simple dog bed appeared beneath it.

"I'll be back when I can. Don't make me regret lettin' you stick around for a while," Naruto said before slamming the balcony door shut.

"Okay Ralts-chan, how do we get outta here? Ralts-chan?" Naruto called, peering around in search of his partner.

When he couldn't find her, he went looking, coming up empty.

"Now what the heck do I do?" He muttered in annoyance. He still didn't know how to get out.

Well, when in doubt...

"I wanna go home!" He shouted, and as with everything else non-demonic in this place, his will was made manifest, and he vanished.

In the mindscape, the newborn demon curled up on the bed and wondered what would become of itself...

* * *

Sakura gaped as Ralts did... something, and Naruto froze, not even blinking as the gathered chakra he held lost cohesion and fell apart under the strain of it's own rotation.

She had no idea what the little pokemon was doing, but from the intense light coming off her, it had to be something big, and successful apparently, since Naruto's eyes were back to their pleasant blue hue.

"Mmreeph!" Eevee yelped as she hit the ground, still hanging from Naruto's now limply hanging arm.

"Chaar?" her fire-typed teammate hissed questioningly, ceasing his attacks, but not releasing the steel-type enhancements.

Even Sasuke-kun hesitated, looking to Sakura, as if she had any better idea than him what was going to happen now.

The respect was nice and all, but she really didn't need, or want, that kind of pressure.

Such was the unspoken downside to being the test acing, encyclopedia reading top kunoichi of the year: Everybody expects you to know everything... Even weird stuff like this.

She lifted her shoulders in a barely visible shrug, the flicked her eyes to Ralts' glowing form and mouthed the word 'wait'.

Sasuke nodded, and turned his attention from the apparently handled Naruto, to the ever-present threat of Orochimaru, as the twin Suji Jiinto he had prepared to disable his teammate continued to spark dangerously.

"I would thank you for the assistance, but I'm pretty sure you caused this mess in the first place," He said, glaring at the vastly superior ninja, who was watching with only half-hearted interest, now that the unique attack had been disrupted.

"Hmm... That may be true, in a sense," Orochimaru admitted. "But that pitiful power was nothing compared to what I would offer you, Sasuke."

"Are you sure you aren't just some really creepy fangirl?" Sasuke asked. The guy just kept harping on that whole 'I'll give you power' thing, and he was damned if he was going to accept without knowing the details.

Creepy cross-dressing bastard might expect compensation he _really_ wasn't willing to pay.

"Do I look like a damn fangirl!" Orochimaru fired back. Seriously, did the Uchiha think he was the only guy who'd ever had to deal with those annoying bitches?

Hell, during the war he'd had to deal with military-grade fangirls, who knew that a pregnancy was the fastest way out of a front-line combat zone.

Half of his early evasion techniques were developed just so he could avoid getting raped in his own camp.

Didn't help his view of things that perverted jackass Jiraiya just laughed when he complained about the assaults, and Sarutobi-sensei just suggested he needed to 'loosen up and live a little'.

As if he wanted anything to do with those...

Well, he did get his own revenge on them eventually, and damn if it wasn't worth developing the uterus-rotting toxin he'd arranged to infect them with...

"A little bit, yeah," Sasuke replied, words which brought him closer to death than he would ever realize. "Though, I will admit you'd be one of the ugliest stalkers I've ever had."

With considerable effort, and the reminder that Uchiha charcoal would be of no use to him, Orochimaru swallowed his anger.

"Let it be known," the Sannin hissed menacingly, "that Orochimaru fawns over no one! I have neither need, nor use, for such paltry things as whatever those hapless harlots you call fangirls consider you."

"The only interest I have in you is that of a professional exchange," Orochimaru continued more calmly, it wouldn't do to lose his composure over such minor unpleasantness. "I can supply what you desire: Power, revenge, and a superior village in which to grow your clan to new heights, and in a position of control second only to myself, as Kage."

"In turn, you will supply a number of things I desire: A clan who's reputation will accelerate my village's growth, as well as it's jutsu library, and revenge on Itachi Uchiha, which I have been pursuing myself for some time now."

"Why would you want to kill Him?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

"My reasons are... my own to know, but rest assured, I would like nothing better than to rip out his eyes, destroy his soul, and watch the flesh rot from his bones." Orochimaru replied seriously. "But without the sharingan, I am at something of a disadvantage, and while just taking your eyes might be enough to span that gap, it would necessitate ending your prestigious lineage."

"And so, here I am, offering an exchange of sorts, though I had to be certain you had the strength and potential to benefit from my rigorous training methods," Orochimaru finished, spreading his hands and shrugging in an appearance of self conscious embarrassment. Everything he had said was true, or at least not a blatant lie.

"And if I were to refuse?" Sasuke asked, watching close for any sign of deception.

"Sad though it would be, the decision is yours to make," Orochimaru replied smoothly. He had fooled wiser and more experienced people than Sasuke could ever hope to become, and though the boy might not realize it yet, there was a gleam of interest in his eyes.

"And if I accepted?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Sakura's startled protest as he did so.

"Then you would need to come to my village," Orochimaru explained. "I'm afraid it would be impossible to teach you while you remain a Konohagakure ninja, both because of my own... notoriety, and due to the covert nature of my lessons."

"Sasuke! You can't really be considering something like that! You'd be a missing-nin!" Sakura shouted, appalled at the very idea.

"It is a dangerous life," Orochimaru agreed. "One which often either breaks a ninja completely... Or drives him to elevate himself beyond his wildest dreams."

Sasuke frowned as he pondered that argument. The slithery bastard certainly had a point, there were only two kinds of missing-nin: Strong ones, and dead ones.

Their experience in Wave illustrated that point quite clearly.

Sasuke was conflicted, it was obvious to everyone, but especially so to Orochimaru, who had made similar offers many times, to many gifted children.

But unexpectedly, he could tell that the boy was planning to refuse.

There were distinct signs when someone was trying to convince themselves to abandon all they knew for the promise of a better future, no matter how risky that promise might be, and there were just as many signs when someone was trying to convince themselves to stay.

Sasuke was apparently one of the latter, and not one who was having to argue all that hard either...

Of course, it wasn't too surprising, considering how much good his training had done so far, since the boy easily had chunin level combat ability, but the promise of being trained by a living legend was enough to tempt anyone.

"There is no reason to answer immediately," Orochimaru said, as he saw Sasuke come close to refusing outright. "I have something of a vested interest in the exams, so I will seek you out in a month or so, before I return to my village. You can give me your answer then."

Sasuke nodded grudgingly, though he was essentially already set on refusal, it would probably be better to do so somewhere other than the center of an old forest, like the middle of the Anbu barracks, or the Hokage's office, just in case the Sannin didn't take rejection well.

"I thank you for considering my proposal, Sasuke," Orochimaru said, bowing respectfully. "And as a sign of my gratitude, offer you this gift."

Like the snakes he summoned, Orochimaru struck in a blink, his neck extending to ridiculous length to let him bite the boy.

"What did you do to me!" Sasuke groaned, as his muscled locked up and his still sparking jutsu dispersed with a pair of loud pops.

Radiating from his neck were waves of hot and cold, sending lines of pain through every nerve in his body.

"Well, I can hardly expect you to decide without a proper demonstration, could I?" the Sannin replied, sounding offended. "And what better way than to give you the first stage of the training now? I would have had to do so anyway, since all my ninja of chunin rank and above have gone through the process."

"It... Hurts!" Sasuke growled, falling to the ground as his limbs went numb from whatever that bite had done.

"No pain, no gain," Orochimaru replied coldly. "There is some risk of death as well, but I have complete faith in your abilities. I wouldn't have wasted my time seeking you out if I thought you were a weakling."

Orochimaru was pretty sure the Uchiha hadn't heard that last part, if the ear-shattering scream and descent into unconsciousness was any indication.

But it was still a good sign for his chances of survival. Most of the failures hadn't even waited for him to let go before screaming.

Right into his ear, the ungrateful bastards.

No longer bothering to restrict his movements to speeds within the realm of 'possible but unlikely for chunin aspirant's, Orochimaru blurred into motion, snatching Eevee out of the air in the middle of one of her repetitive Quick Attacks and launching the unlucky pup face first into the blast of flame Charmeleon had launched, racing after it as he and Sasuke had practiced.

The speed of her passage was a potential lifesaver, however, as she blew through the attack and slammed into the reptilian pokemon too quickly for the flames to do more than singe her fur.

Not expecting the peculiar projectile, Eevee hit Charmeleon hard, and both went down in a dazed tumble.

With his free hand, Orochimaru grabbed Sakura by the throat, interrupting her jutsu attempt from a dozen feet away.

His arm retracted, ripping Sakura forward, as well as a fair portion of the ground she had tried to anchor herself upon, and held her in the air in front of him, ignoring her frantic and futile attempts to escape.

"What... did you... do... to Sasuke?" She gasped with what little air she could pull in.

"I don't repeat myself to trash, so if you weren't paying attention the first time, it's your loss," Orochimaru replied. "But I suggest you listen this time, because it could mean life and death for your precious obsession, and a great many other people."

Sakura stilled, looking at him fearfully, and he eased up on her airflow as a reward.

Finally, proof that a fangirl can be trained, if you have the right carrot and stick to use.

"The village I lead is known at the Village of Sound, " he said, noting the recognition in her eyes. Apparently his genin had made an impression during the first test, good.

"One of my genin teams has been ordered to locate and fight this team. They will come bearing both scrolls, theirs and mine, so confronting them is to your benefit. Defeat them, and you can have that little glow-worm drop you right at the tower for an easy win."

"Avoid them, or abandon the exam, and I will kill you, but not before you watch me kill those precious to you, as well as those precious to the blond brat."

"Why are you doing this? Haven't you done enough!" Sakura protested, panicky as she worried about her parents, who would have no chance against a monster like him.

"My dear girl, what I do I do out of love... For science, for power, for jutsu, for an eternal existence. And as with so many other things worth having: There is no such thing as 'enough'," Orochimaru replied with a cruel smile.

"You have a really twisted idea of love," Sakura growled out, eliciting a chuckle from the evil man.

"Yes, you may be right... but then I would have creatures like you to thank for that, wouldn't I?" Orochimaru released the girl contemptuously, letting her crash to the ground roughly.

"I'm through with you, I suggest you take your teammates somewhere safe, so that you have some small chance of living long enough to face my chosen genin," He said, turning as if to leave.

"Well, I'm not through with you!" Sakura shouted, rising to her feet painfully. Her throat and almost her entire backside were bruised by the day's efforts, but she had to protect her teammates, no matter the risk.

"What did you do to Naruto? And how do we fix it?" She asked. The creep had already said that he needed Sasuke alive, but once Ralts stopped her partner, it was almost as if he'd forgotten about the boy, and she couldn't risk letting him leave if whatever he'd done was potentially fatal.

"I picked the wrong poison to use," Orochimaru replied casually, though he turned to look at the still boy critically.

"_Should have realized the old fool wouldn't have trained a jinchuuriki to use his power properly..."_ He thought.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the biju had taken advantage of the hallucinogen somehow, which implied that other mind altering techniques might cause unexpected effects, which might have negative impact on his own plans.

Of course, Orochimaru was a genius, so figuring out a long term solution for such an eventuality was rather simple.

"But, since it seems to worry you so much, 'We' fix it like this," He said, as a kanji formed of purple flame flared to life on the fingertips of one of his hands, the instant the technique was ready, Orochimaru charged at the incapacitated jinchuuriki.

"Five Pronged Seal," he hissed, driving the technique towards Naruto's gut.

The mass of flickering energy that had been Ralts flared to life as the spiteful man attacked her partner, and she her eyes whipped towards the Sannin.

"_No,"_ She said simply, thrusting one arm towards Orochimaru.

The evolutionary process, which had been arrested when her Self left her body to enter Naruto's mindscape, returned to it's natural progression with a vengeance, as the glow flowed towards that arm from the rest of her body, revealing her new form as it slipped away.

The energy pulsed in her hand, and she spread her new fingers wide, redirecting it into a shell of force around herself and Naruto. _(Reflect)_

Orochimaru's jutsu hit that wall of energy, intending to tear through it like rice paper, but neglected to consider the extra well of power available to a newly evolved pokemon.

Or the fact that not all walls are meant to merely contain.

The Reflect 'attack' overwhelmed Orochimaru's control of his own jutsu, turning it upon him, albeit imperfectly.

Orochimaru cursed and leapt away, glaring at the pokemon, which chirped a sassy 'La-lia!', before pulling down one eyelid and blowing a raspberry at him.

Well.

He briefly considered repaying the insult with blood, but decided to let it go, for a number of reasons.

First, he was getting really bored of fighting weaklings, and despite their relatively developed abilities, they were still genin.

Second, he knew of the creature's ability to teleport, and was counting on it to ensure that Sasuke made it to the tower intact after the fight against his own genin team, and to get the group back to their 'hidden cave' while Sasuke recovered.

Third, he had been sensing a number of much larger chakra signatures hopping around in the distance for a while now, and was mildly surprised the obvious searchers hadn't tracked him down yet.

Just further evidence of how far Konoha had fallen since the war, even hiding so much of his chakra signature, it would have taken an hour at most to locate him in an area this size back then.

And honestly, the little pokemon did have some room to be proud of itself, even for so minor and temporary a victory, for while he couldn't remove the seal himself, due to it's design, any of his allies could remove it with a little effort and a fuinjutsu release tag, which would take him a few minutes to sketch out, at most.

The Five Pronged Seal was painless, and when applied properly, was nearly undetectable for any ninja with below average chakra control.

But Orochimaru had 'perfect' control, not that he didn't work to improve upon even that pinnacle of ability, and he could feel the sigils burned into his fingertips, disrupting the flow of chakra through his hand and arm.

He unconsciously tried wiping the odd feeling away, a numbing sensation not dissimilar to having his fingertips coated in dried glue.

"I'll deal with you later," he promised, deciding to simply delay his payback until after his more important concerns had passed. He hoped the pokemon was properly terrified by that vow, but with how pale she was already, it was impossible to tell at a glance.

Without another word, he dissolved into a puddle of mud and was gone.

"Can you still teleport?" Sakura asked quickly, wanting to be gone before Orochimaru returned, or his minions, or even another genin team, found them.

"_Of course," _Ralts' new form replied happily, hopping over to Sakura with a dance-like step and twirling in place. She couldn't help it, it just felt so good to move so freely!

"O...kay," Sakura said, not sure what to think of the pokemon's cheerful attitude. "We need to find somewhere safe to recover, and much as I hate the idea of going back there, the spider pit is probably the best bet. It's far enough from the tower that most genin won't stumble across it, and we already know it's safe.

"_Be there in a flash!" _the pokemon replied, grabbing Sakura and the unconscious Sasuke and popping over to Naruto in the fastest teleport she'd ever used.

She did it again, popping over to, and bringing Eevee and Charmeleon back, with the same lack of ceremony.

She then grabbed a fistful of each insensate boy's shirt, and began to glow softly.

Not sure if it was a sign of preparation, or a warning for mere courtesy, Sakura grabbed Eevee with one arm and Naruto with the other, since he was somehow still standing, despite his thousand-yard stare.

She would have grabbed Charmeleon as well, but the pokemon had already joined them, sitting sullenly on Sasuke's chest, resting his scaled chin in one clawed hand and muttering what could only be an unpleasant assessment of the last battle in his own language.

A flash of blue light, which seemed somehow less piercing than it had been before, and the group was back in the spider's former lair.

"Great job... Ralts?" Sakura said, looking to the pokemon and hoping for a prompt as to her new name.

The pokemon just smiled at her, before dancing away to help settle Naruto in a sitting position, surprised that he hadn't fallen upon arrival, and somewhat concerned that he hadn't returned to himself yet.

"...Okay then," Sakura remarked, puzzled.

Dismissing the strange pokemon's actions as a natural side effect of spending so much time with Naruto, Sakura pulled Sasuke deeper into the hideout.

She managed it rather easily, once she managed to shoo Charmeleon off him and Eevee badgered it into helping.

She then used her mud wall to sculpt the burrow a bit, since it was likely they would be stuck there for a while, she wanted it as defensible as possible.

Within minutes, the cave had a false end, sculpted with perforations to allow air flow to continue, and a pair of opposed blind turns behind it to foil anyone who might try to clear the den the same way team seven had.

The structures did cramp things a little bit, leaving the team with a rather narrow tunnel, about fifteen feet long and half as wide, in which to wait.

The close quarters didn't bother Sakura as much as the lack of light, since a fire would be a bad idea with such low air flow, and most of the more situational camping supplies had been in Naruto's pack, including chakra-powered light seals. As a result, only Charmeleon's tail-flame provided their limited illumination.

On her way back from construction, Sakura checked on Naruto.

He was still unresponsive, but it looked more like he was lost in a daydream than hurt. Plus, Ralts... or whatever her name was now, didn't look too worried.

She was just standing in front of him, eyes alight with excitement and bouncing in place, looking for all the world like a little kid who'd just found the 'best present ever' for a loved one.

Which was probably true in this case, Sakura had to admit.

Leaving them to their... whatever, Sakura moved over to Sasuke, finding a reason to appreciate the lack of light, as the flickering flames softened his severe countenance.

Not that she didn't love his darkly handsome brooding, but she wanted to see the full range of his emotions.

She wanted to see his smile, a real smile, rather than the one he occasionally wore because he felt he was supposed to.

Would his smile be big and bright like Naruto's? Or small and confident like Iruka-sensei's? Or would it be silly and secretive like the ones she knew Kakashi-sensei hid behind his mask?

And not just his smiles, she wanted to see his every expression.

He groaned in pain, and grimaced severely as he writhed, and Sakura amended her thoughts. She had no desire to see Sasuke in such pain.

Retrieving her canteen and a bandage, she set a cold compress on his head, in an attempt to help however she could.

She wasn't sure what to think of Orochimaru's offer, or Sasuke's apparent consideration of it, but she was confident he would refuse in the end.

Thanks to her time on team seven, and their growth as comrades, she understood far more than she had ever hoped to about him.

Even his goals weren't as simple as they had seemed on the surface.

It wasn't enough for him to just kill his brother. Not enough to be the stronger ninja, the better killer. If it were, he would probably focus his efforts on just assassinating the man in his sleep.

For some reason, it mattered that he confront his clan's killer directly. Fight and defeat him at his best, and put the spirits of his fallen family to rest.

Sasuke didn't just want to be the better ninja, he wanted to be the better Uchiha, the better man.

And he could never be that if he followed his brother's path as a traitor.

Movement and a questioning sound drew her attention away from her pondering of Sasuke's hidden depths, and back to Naruto, who was blinking rapidly and shaking his head in disorientation.

Serves him right for staring like that. He could have given Tora a run for her money, going so long without blinking.

"What happened? An' why is it so dark?" Naruto mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

"The creep ran away," Sakura replied, her voice subdued. "We're safe for now, but Sasuke is hurt."

"Sasuke's hurt?" Naruto yelped, jumping to his feet and stumbling towards Sakura blindly. "I'm sorry! I tried to stop him, really I did!" He claimed, nearly beside himself with worry.

"Oh please, we kicked your butt easy," Sakura replied flippantly. "Even before Ralts showed up and kicked whoever that was out of you. You should be more sorry that you let someone do something like that to you."

Naruto had never been so relieved to hear about himself getting beaten up.

"Sakura-chan, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that, and I sure as hell ain't lettin' it happen again, but how'd the Teme get hurt?" Naruto asked.

"Orochimaru bit him," Sakura said glumly.

"You're kidding, right?" What really happened? It's gotta be pretty embarrassing if that's the best you could come up with." Naruto said, looking at Sakura pointedly.

"Does this look like I'm kidding?" Sakura asked, rolling Sasuke's head and showing Naruto the spot.

"Are we sure that guy wasn't a vampire or somethin'?" Naruto asked, as he inspected the half-healed punctures and the strange mark that had formed between them.

"Vampires aren't real, moron," Sakura replied sourly. "Besides, the sun's still up, remember?"

"Good point. Should we take him to get help?" Naruto asked. "A doctor or somethin'?"

"No, I wish we could, but I don't think it's a good idea," Sakura replied. "Orochimaru said if we left the forest, or avoided the genin he sent after us, he'll kill the people we care about, and then us."

"Dammit," Naruto cursed. "You think he'd really do it?"

"I don't doubt it at all, And that's not all..." Sakura replied, shivering at the remembered look in the Sannin's eyes.

Sakura went on to explain the team that Orochimaru had tasked with hunting them down, as well as her suspicion that the team would fight a lot more seriously than Orochimaru obviously had, and the fact that they would be carrying both scrolls when they arrived.

"Then we'll have to beat then," Naruto remarked when she finished. "Even if they track us down, we'll have some time to prepare, and we can't risk dragging Sasuke around like this. But once we got both scrolls, we can get to the tower and get him the help he needs."

"I've done a little preparation already," Sakura agreed. "Not much, but it should help hide us if someone wanders by.

Naruto looked toward the entrance and nodded in appreciation of her efforts.

"Good work, Sakura-chan, But where's Ralts-chan? She keepin' watch or somethin'?" He wasn't sure how he felt about that idea... Yeah, she'd know if someone was coming from a fair distance, and she could escape most enemies with ease thanks to teleport, but he still didn't want her taking too many risks she didn't have to.

"Why don't you ask her?" Sakura replied, sounding a bit odd and looking past him.

Naruto turned to see a pale girl with green hair held in pigtails by two large red clips, wearing what looked like a an odd white dress over green tights.

She also looked very annoyed with him.

Naruto's first impulse was to take Sakura's suggestion at face value and ask the girl where Ralts was, but good sense asserted itself before he could do so.

Afterall, how many people had really really white skin, green hair, and red eyes?

"Um... Ralts-chan?" He said hopefully, though a large portion of that hope was his desire to not be hit if he didn't get the apparent test right.

The girl shook her head, though a lot of the annoyance left, and she smiled mischievously.

"Kirlia!" She said, after letting Naruto stew a bit, and Naruto felt pleasure flood through the emotional link as she released the hold she's established, first to hide her excitement, then her disappointment and frustration.

"Kirlia-chan!" Naruto replied joyfully, his own happiness nearly eclipsing hers.

Kirlia bounced into Naruto's spread arms as he cheered, sharing the joy of their achievement.

Eevee slunk over to Sakura, who was covering her ears to protect herself from the overly exuberant celebration.

She looked down when her partner nosed her, meeting eyes with Eevee and easily seeing the worry in them.

"Hey, don't worry," She said soothingly, pulling Eevee into her lap. "Someone has to the last on a team to evolve, right? You'll evolve when you're good and ready. Until then, we'll just keep getting stronger, and show 'em all what a couple of commoners can do!"

"Vee!" The pokemon agreed proudly.

And 'Vee' is right, Sakura decided. Vee for victory, because no matter what, they were leaving this forest on top.

All of them, she reiterated, looking towards Sasuke.

* * *

AN:

I hope the read was worth the wait.

I apologize again for the seriously late update, I'm afraid it's highly unlikely that there will be one on the first of June, but I'll get it up as soon as possible.

To expand a bit on the note at the start, my outline didn't include half the stuff Orochimaru talked about, and the entire Kyuubi event was unexpected, and quite frankly, I now have to figure out what to do with the 'Lesser Kyuubi', since killing it off without reason would be rather wasteful.

To explain a bit more about how I see it's creation, the Biju are masses of living energy, which grow at a rate not dissimilar to other living things. Due to this, a jinchuuriki cannot drain a Biju dry, since it's generating energy at a rate faster than any human could absorb it.

Biju can however sacrifice a portion of their energy to create 'true demons', such as Kitsune, Kappa, Oni and the like, which are inherently indebted to the Biju who formed them. A fact they discovered while attempting to create their own version of pokemon.

Though, with Kyuubi's official abandonment of it, Lesser Kyuubi would owe no true allegiance to it's creator, a fact which makes it's long-term survival more likely, since Naruto wouldn't likely hesitate much if it tried helping Kyuubi get out again..

Anycase, that's a short summary of the thoughts that came to me while writing that section, and now I gotta figure out what to do with it... Sorry for the strange twist of events, hehe.

* * *

For those curious, the fight against Orochimaru has been my planned trigger for Ralts' evolution since before I even started writing this, it was too appropriate in my mind to have it be otherwise. (Regardless of how much easier it'd have been to evolve her early and let her actually travel on her own)

I chose to use Reflect's Anime effect rather than it's fairly weak game effect because it's more interesting from a story perspective. It's not going to be a total stop for all attacks, (though Protect may be, it will have a few downsides when she learns it) and the only reason Kirlia was able to stop Orochimaru from shattering it was because of the extra power it held from 'Evolution overload' which is what I've decided to call the extra power pokemon seem to have if they evolve during a fight in the anime.

* * *

Sasuke's goals: It's how I see his odd obsession with facing everyone he wants to kill head on rather than killing them via more easy methods, even after he gains the ability to Tsukiyomi anyone he doesn't like into a coma and slit their throat.

Additionally, this is from Sakura's perspective, so take it with a grain of salt. I'm not demonizing Sasuke, but he's still the type who will do almost anything if the potential gain is great enough. His decision making is just a bit more balanced at this point I believe.

* * *

Nakagakure:

A couple of reviewers pointed out that I hadn't said too much about the people of Nakagakure, so I'll do that now.

During the first Ninja World War, the various clans were scattered and generally solitary.

As is human nature, many of the more... unusual clans, be they aggressive or not, were harassed, abused, and in some cases, entirely obliterated by the more 'normal' ninja clans. (Think Kisame, Kidomaru, Jugo, and others who are visibly different, including the Hyuuga potentially.)

After coming across a clan of non-ninja which had been attacked unprovoked, a certain clan leader decided to bring their members into his own, and as this clan was nomadic in nature, they continued to wander the land collecting survivors as they moved around.

As more and more varied groups joined their group, they formed what would eventually become an organized tribe of various bloodline-bearing warriors dedicated to protecting each other as family.

Eventually, this group gained some notoriety, and Hashirama Senju, possessor of the Mokuton bloodline and leader of his own clan, decided to try creating his own version of the same, creating the first true village of clans bound by a pact of mutual protection.

While Hashirama, as well as a number of the other copycat village leaders tried to recruit the Nomads, the mistrust held by these survivors was too great for such an alliance to work, and eventually they ceased their nomadic ways, and created their own Hidden Village to protect themselves from the rest of the ninja world.

In their case, the village is truly hidden, with subterranean pathways being the only routes to and from the village. Those who have traveled there once, and are foolish enough to attempt it again uninvited often find themselves helplessly lost due to the Rock-type specialists who maintain the labyrinthine passages.

The village acts as mercenaries, often to the other ninja villages for projects that they cannot risk being linked to, or for tasks which are uniquely suited to the unusual inhabitants of the Nakagakure. Nakagakure has an operative or two in most villages, who accept missions for their ninja, and who seem to have no trouble contacting their home at a moment's notice.

As a result of their formation, and the founder's philosophy, children born to the village are raised communally, and while the child's heritage, parentage and bloodline are acknowledged, every member of the village is considered family by every other member.

This makes them very dangerous to doublecross, because they take such offenses very personally, especially one of their own is injured or killed as a result.

Citizens of Nakagakure are named three times. Their first, given name, is what they are called as a child by their caregivers. Their second, earned name, is awarded according to their skills when they are declared proficient in the basics of their chosen career (genin rank for ninja). And their third, chosen name, they pick themselves when they are declared adults (chunin rank, or age of adulthood, whichever comes first.)

However, it isn't unheard of for a person to prefer an earlier name. For reference, Shugorei and Kaeru use their Earned names, while Ao uses his Given name. The reason for this is that an Earned name usually says something about the bearer's nature or skills, and Ao prefers that the only information he shares be that which he chooses to.

Nakagakure has no native Legendary, and due to the rarity of genin from the village leaving their home for long, it is unusual for a Naka ninja to have a pokemon, and the quest to obtain one is often a solitary task undertaken by Tokubetsu or higher ninja.

The headband for Nakagakure is the Kanji for Naka within a circle. (A rectangle with a downward slash through it, to simplify)

I think that's enough about Naka for now, and probably more than will need to be known for a long while. The core inspiration for the village came from the Barbarois village in Vampire Hunter D, as did Benge, who is a member of that village in the movie.

My main desire for this village is a place from which to base characters that I think will be fun to play with, such as the genin trio, who are based on game characters. Pathfinder, Everquest, and a blend of various sources for the trio.

* * *

Review Response:

Sorry if this is a bit more sparse than the rest of the AN, been working on finishing this chapter up for about the last nine hours, so I may miss a review, or have thought I replied via PM, which I try to do when I can, if I do miss someone, throw something at me via PM and I'll reply there, or edit it in, hehe.

First off, I should thank you all for your input regarding Sakura and Lee's evolutions, I'm not sure when it'll happen, but I'm definitely keeping the crockpot of ideas cooking in the back of my head.

Kitsunedragon: Rest assured, I miss a fair number of grammar mistakes, and that's even with my tendency to go over the chapter at least twice after finishing it and before posting. But so long as I don't plothole myself into the next dimension, I'm mostly satisfied... Would the next dimension be the Digimon world? Never really watched that, so I hope not...

But to answer your question, essentially I'm using the 'Naruto world is the Pokemon world after a massively bad event' schtick. How bad? It's what led to Juubi's creation. I do plan to address that in a flashback chapter, so I won't leave ya hanging forever on that one, but it's a sub-arc in a post-Tsunade-retrieval arc, so it'll be a bit.

Anon: Eevee's current Moveset is 'Return', Helping Hand, Sand Attack, Double Team, Quick Attack, Bite, Work Up, and Dig.

She only has three more moves in her level list before I'll need to evolve her, which is why I asked for the recommendations last chapter. I really thought Eevee had more to learn... but apparently not, hehe. (Excluding six 'when appropriate' moves that I think would need certain criteria to use, Retaliate and Rest for example)

In comparison, Kirlia knows 12/29 of her potential moves, with eight criteria locked ones. And Charmeleon knows 15/37, with 5 criteria locked.

As you can probably guess, not every move they know has been used yet, and this only counts moves from 'In-game' that they learn naturally, and TM's which I think suit the pokemon in question.

Dunedain: Kabuto is still working for Orochimaru, but beyond that I'm not sure yet. I find him to be a fascinating character, but not one I would trust further than I could throw Chouji.

I do have a few ideas for Karin, but unfortunately I wasn't able to get to her return scene yet, next chapter though...

Csuperfish: Itachi is a secret good guy, same as in Canon, and it is possible that a Legendary will assist a ninja if their goals mesh, and given the Izanami/Izanagi 'My dreams are real' stuff, I wouldn't be too surprised if Darkrai and Cresselia had some connection to the Uchiha.

I do have a couple of ideas where such alliances will, or may, happen, and I look forward to writing them.

Rizaidym: I do hope to be able to use Kirlia's Telepathy in manners similar to it's in-game effect, just gotta find a way to do so that doesn't make me feel like I'm ripping off the rinnegan or something. It'll probably be something that's just now becoming viable too, since Ralts would have had trouble maintaining a constant link wide enough for that to work... Definitely something I need to focus more thought on soon, it'll become more valuable as they learn more techniques.

See above about Legendary partnerships, it may happen at some point in the future, especially if their ideals are a major factor in their natures. I do need to track down and watch that movie in the near future... Or is it Movies? Isn't that the paired one?

* * *

Alrighty, I think that settles that, and I thank you all for reading and your kind reviews (and the occasional boot to the ass telling me to hurry up, odd as it may sound, it helps when work is being a bugger)

Hope you enjoyed,

-Mhyrloc


	12. Towering Above the Opposition

An even later update this time... you have my sincerest apologies, I blame writer's block in part, but no one wants to hear lame excuses, so I offer good ones instead: A list of stories that I've read since my last update which grabbed my attention by the short hairs and refused to let go, in some cases not even after I'd finished them.

Naruto Genkyouien by Daneel Rush: This story is OC heavy, and rather silly/perverse, but well written and the OC's are fleshed out so well that it fills me with shame for how two dimensional the pokemon are in mine, a fact I intend to address ASAP. I recommend it for a read, though it won't be everyone's cup of tea, particularly since the OC's are quite a bit overpowered in comparison with other characters.

One Small Kindness by DigitalTart: This story centers around Sasuke's mother and Itachi, as well as the Uchiha as a whole during the time leading up to the Massacre, well thought out, and the reasons for things happening make a lot of sense.

Daybreak: Part 1 by DigitalTart: Sequel to above, this story timeskips to the start of the Naruto series, with Naruto and Sasuke as the primary characters, It is also a quite interesting story given the considerable differences resulting from 'One Small Kindness'.

The Empty Cage by Rathanel: Interesting take on the 'Naruto is Kyuubi' concept, with Kyuubi having his own motivations, limitations, and believable goals, Also the Ninja world is a bit more hardcore and prone to actual violence and conflict here.

Swapping the Cage by Rathanel: Kyuubi from above is exchanged with the Cannon Naruto, which pisses him off a lot, but is also an interesting read. Both this and the above can be compared favorably with the pair of stories by Nugar. ('People Lie' and 'Ask Me No Questions' both of which I also recommend, particularly for anyone fond of the Cthulu mythos.)

Naruto: Ramen Days by Rathanel: Naruto as a video game character, done in a very amusing manner, since he doesn't have access to a manual and has to trial and error his way through things, though eventually he'll apparently be able to keep other people through death-resets. (Also, this one really messed with me while writing the current chapter, since I really like the way he used the Sound trio, gave me a nasty bit of writer's block working on my own versions, Kin especially.)

Hopefully a bribe of good stories will grant me forgiveness for the tardy update, hehe.

As an aside, I plan to fix chapter 1's 'wall o' text' issues within the next day or two, though I don't plan to change anything beyond that and whatever typos/grammar issues I catch in the process.

And now, on with the Story...

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

Naruto and Kirlia awoke in an instant as she sensed something at the edge of her range, and a wave of anxiety coursed through them both.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, drawing a kunai as she leapt to her feet and moved towards the entryway in preparation for whatever disturbed her more reactive allies.

After retrieving his damaged pack from the tower roof, and the first aid kit contained within, Naruto had treated the girl's wounds and sent her to bed while he kept watch and did the same for Sasuke.

He wasn't too worried about his own injuries, the few scrapes and slashes he'd received were more troublesome for the damage they'd done to his outfit than for the harm to himself.

Plus, Sakura-chan had treated his worst injuries already.

She woke up looking refreshed and feeling much better, and ordered Naruto to get some sleep as well. It wouldn't do if Orochimaru's henchmen found them while they were still exhausted from the earlier fight, and she certainly didn't trust him to give them time to recuperate.

That had only been a few hours ago, but as ever, Naruto was wide awake the instant he needed to be. Just another strange quirk of the boy, who could easily 'zombie-walk' through the morning if he didn't feel it was absolutely mandatory to be up.

_"Someone is near, searching,"_ Kirlia replied. _"She feels of anticipation, and worry... and hope."_

"Does she know where we are? And are her teammates with her?" Sakura asked, wondering if the Sound ninja had arrived already.

_"No... and yes,"_ Kirlia replied, confusion coloring her words._ "She knows someone is near, but isn't certain where yet. I cannot sense anyone with her."_

"I'll take a look," Naruto said, moving through the altered tunnel to create a small number of shadowclones from beside the false wall.

As with the fence, a couple of the clones appeared on the far side, though it was a far cry from the horde who had manifested through the more porous chain link fence.

The bulk of the clones dispelled, while one crept towards the entrance, where it henged into the giant spider again.

Kirlia continued 'watching' the girl, her evolved senses even catching the surprised stutter and a flash of expectant joy apparently triggered by the appearance of the clones.

How had she known?

Eager excitement drove the girl forward, and she raced towards where she sensed the burst of chakra.

She crested the shallow hill formed from the dirt cast out when the living spider dug it's den, and skidded to a stop, staring when the henge'd clone was revealed.

Remembering the spider's actions when the exploring clone found it in the first place, and eager to put the previous spider-clone's practice to use, this clone raised it's forward four legs in the air and skittered towards her unsteadily.

The intruder was apparently a genin from Grass, or someone pretending to be such, a pretty little redhead with glasses.

At least until she got an eyeful of the threat display from a spider bigger than most farm animals she'd seen.

It was hard to consider someone pretty when they're that terrified.

The clone, who shared Naruto's memory of the small demon fox, was really wondering why this forest kept making him do stuff only a total jerk would want to.

The girl let out a breathless shriek and turned to flee, but the dew-damp grass betrayed her, and she slipped, tumbling down the mound.

She scrambled furiously, trying to stop, ripping tufts of grass and clumps of dirt from the ground as she slid inexorably backward, as she forgot even the basics of her ninja training in her fear.

When she realized the sun had suddenly vanished, she risked a look up, right into the arm-long fangs of her apparent demise.

With a strangled squeak, she threw herself into a ball, covering her head with her arms and praying for deliverance, as she waited for the end.

The shadowclone peered down at the petrified girl beneath it and silently cursed the Forest of Death viciously. He would be happy to get out of this forest just so he could find something nice to do for someone to make up for it before karma kicked him in the metaphorical nuts.

He still had a lot of money left, maybe he'd buy some toys for the orphanage... It was only right for ninja to do cool stuff like that on occasion, 'Inspiring the next generation' and all that.

Standard ninja wisdom would say to kill her, or otherwise incapacitate her in such a way that she would be incapable of becoming a threat. It wouldn't even be a difficult feat, since the fangs and leg-tip spikes benefited from his claw-henge training.

The motions needed would be easy enough, even with his inexperience in this form.

A simple heatbutt-like lunge for the fangs, or a spear-like thrust for the leg-tip claws. Simple and quick.

But two things stayed his hand... and fangs.

First: Naruto wasn't a cold-blooded killer. It wasn't in is nature, and he couldn't shake the memory of how eager Kyuubi had been to kill Ralts, Sakura, and Sasuke.

It had wanted to kill, just because the act might aid it's goal.

Naruto would never let himself become like that. Killing the girl might be the right course, but to do it here and now would just be... wrong.

And second: Where were her teammates? It was obvious this girl wasn't a combat type.

If she died, her team was done, so they had every reason to protect her, unless they knew there was no threat.

Or if they had already failed the exam, permanently, and she had somehow survived.

But why would she come poke around near their hide, when she should be running for the gates like her hair was on fire?

Something strange was going on here, and he wanted answers. Which meant the Boss would want answers too.

Making certain that the fangs were out of killing position, the clone lunged at the girl in a move that was half headbutt and half barely guided fall, and it struck at the girl's head with it's closed mandibles.

He missed completely, bruising her shoulder instead, and reared back for another attempt, expecting to have a harder time of it, now that it was 'do or die' for the girl.

Instead she went completely limp, muscles which had been stretched tight enough to snap, falling completely loose.

Cautiously, the clone nudged her with a leg, and the girl's head lolled bonelessly, revealing eyes rolled back in her head.

_'I hope she just fainted or somethin','_ the clone thought. He would never live it down if he gave her a heart attack by accident.

Carefully grabbing onto her boot with his mandibles, he backed awkwardly back into the den, sending a thought to Kirlia to notify the others of his actions.

At the rate things were going, the Sound team Snake-teme was sending after them would turn out to be a bunch of preschoolers... with puppies.

And somehow he would end up beating them up and making them cry, just to make him feel more like a teme himself.

* * *

Karin awoke to find herself suspended uncomfortably by her arms and legs, which were somehow trapped within the wall behind her. She looked around silently, quashing her instinctual desire to scream, but it was impossible to make out anything in the pitch-black darkness.

She was amazed to wake up at all, since she figured she was barely a snack for a monster that large. It's fangs were large enough to punch right through her!

Noticing the numb ache in her shoulder, she wondered if that was what happened.

Could the majority of the spider's venom have ended up on the grass beneath her? Would the spider have noticed? And was she doomed to hang here until it got hungry enough to return for her and realized the mistake?

Would it make the same mistake a second time?

She whimpered involuntarily, at the thought of spending days hanging here, waiting for a slow death from starvation and dehydration, or massive spider bite, and not knowing which was the worse option.

"Finally awake, eh?" A male voice commented from the darkness before her.

"Yes, I'm over here," Karin called quietly. "Did the spider catch you too?"

"Nevermind that!" Interjected a female voice angrily. "Why are you here? Did someone send you to find us?"

A light-seal flared to life, illuminating the short tunnel she hung in and back-lighting a pair of ninja at the end of it.

Karin blinked in the glare, aimed directly at her. And realized that she was in more danger than she'd thought, if these people were able to control or summon a spider of that size.

"I... I was looking for someone..." Karin replied fearfully. "I'm not looking for a fight, honest! My team is... gone, and our scroll with them, so it would be useless for me to try..."

"Then why didn't you head for the gates when you had the chance?" The female asked further, and Karin didn't miss her use of the past tense.

"There was someone I was hoping to talk to, when I got the chance." Karin replied honestly. "I was hoping we would both make it to the tower, and that I would see him there... but when my team died, I decided to leave and try to find him in the village before I leave..."

"That still doesn't explain the detour ya took to get here," Naruto replied, more curious than angry. Kirlia could tell she was sincere, so far.

"I'm a sensor type ninja," she explained hesitantly, aware that she had little choice in the matter. "When I concentrate, I can 'feel' the chakra around me. I'm a bit better at it than most genin, so I was using it to avoid running into any ninja or pokemon, but when I recognized the person I wanted to talk to... I thought it was worth the risk."

"Must be important," Naruto muttered graciously.

"You can identify specific ninja based on their chakra?" Sakura asked, more sharply than she had intended.

"Sometimes," Karin admitted. "It's easier when the person has something unique, like a bloodline, but it's possible to do with anyone, with enough practice."

"And you're certain it was the right person?" Sakura pressed.

Karin nodded emphatically, or as much so as she could in her uncomfortable position. "It had to be him! The only team near me was them!"

With a start, Karin realized what that had to mean.

"It's you, isn't it?" She asked hopefully. "The team with the Uzumaki and Uchiha?"

She would be able to tell instantly with her chakra sensing ability, but it took some effort to activate, and if these two were worried enough for this cloak and dagger stuff, they would probably object to any attempt to mold chakra.

"Lemme guess, you're lookin' for the Teme?" the male said exasperatedly, approaching her with heavy steps.

"What are you doing? She's the enemy!" the female asked agitatedly.

"Kirlia-chan says she's tellin' the truth, so I'm helpin' her down," he replied, speaking as if it were the simplest matter in the world.

"And what if she decides she doesn't like failing out of the exams alone, huh?" Sakura pushed.

"We got rope, we got ninja wire, we even got that chakra suppression tag thing. I'm pretty sure we can handle someone who fainted because of a big bug," Naruto replied drily.

"It was a spider!" Karin countered defensively. "A huge, ugly spider!"

"Fine," Sakura conceded reluctantly. "But I want her hands bound, and if she takes one step toward Sasuke-kun, I'll slap that tag on her myself and seal her back in this room forever."

Sakura knew she was being a bit more cruel than might be needed, but she wasn't about to take a risk on another grass kunoichi.

The male reached up and put his hands under her shoulders, as the female ran through a few seals and slapped the wall with a bit more force than was strictly necessary.

The stone around her tingling limbs shifted to mud, and she would have fallen to the floor if the male hadn't been ready to grab her.

He set her on the ground with unexpected care, and set about tying her hands together, palms apart, but in front of her, rather than behind as she expected.

This close, it was easy to identify him as the one she was looking for, and she struggled for something to say to him.

His teammate made an annoyed sound and stalked out of the room and back to their apparent camp, passing Kirlia on her way out, who slipped in with the dance-like step that had apparently become her norm.

"I'm sorry I upset her so much," Karin said eventually. She winced a bit at how awkward she thought she sounded.

"She's just worried bout the Teme," Naruto replied. "We got jumped by someone pretending to be a grass ninja, and he got hurt pretty bad."

"Teme?" Karin prompted. This was the second time he'd said that, and he'd even suggested that it was who she was looking for.

"Yeah, Sasuke. He was a bit of a jerk in the academy, so it's kinda his nickname... well, he's still a bit of a jerk anyway, but he's gettin' better." Naruto explained helping her to her feet and leading her out of her prison room, the little pokemon at his side.

"The Uchiha? Why would I want to meet him?" Karin asked in surprise, earning startled looks from both Naruto and Sakura.

Sakura had settled against one wall, between Sasuke and the small room she'd created for their prisoner, with Eevee sitting opposite her and Charmeleon lounging almost on top of his partner.

The pokemon were all relaxed, despite their kunoichi's more tense attitude.

"Why wouldn't you?" Naruto replied. He'd stopped trying to figure out the odd obsession girls had for the Uchiha a long time before.

And his attempts to break that obsession had so far been fruitless.

"You mean Sasuke-kun isn't who you want to talk to?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"No, I came looking for Naruto..." Karin replied nervously. "I... well, I think he..."

She trailed off, then seemed to gather her thoughts a bit more firmly, and turned to the boy and bowed as deeply as she could.

"My name is Karin Fuuma-Uzumaki, and it's a pleasure to meet you!" Especially with how nice he'd been to her, compared to his teammate at least.

"That... actually, that is a pretty good reason to hunt someone down," Sakura admitted, idly wondering if she would do the same if she ran across one of her mother's distant kin.

Karin held herself in a steep bow, eyes closed tight, and ears perked for any sounds of joy, acceptance, or (Arceus forbid!) dismissal.

Almost immediately, she heard the boy dart over to where the nasty pink-haired girl stood, and she felt her hopes sink.

"What do I do, Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispered anxiously.

"Why the heck are you asking me!" Sakura replied in bewilderment.

Karin opened her eyes dejectedly, to find the little psychic pokemon still before her, which reached out to pat her still bowed head comfortingly.

The redhead smiled gratefully at the little pokemon and straightened to watch her obviously nervous relative.

"You got family, so tell me what to do!" The blond insisted. "I've never been in this kinda situation before!"

"And you've never imagined what you would say to your family if you ever met them?" Sakura asked pointedly.

Naruto's glower proved that she had a valid point, in fact, such imaginings were practically a pastime at one point in his rather short life, but this was a whole different pot of ramen.

"W-well yeah," he admitted. "I mean, I thought a lot about what I'd say if I met my mom or dad, or even a long lost sister or brother, but not a..." he trailed off, not quite sure what his relation to the redhead might actually be.

"Cousin?" Karin supplied hopefully. It wasn't likely a close relationship, since she was only technically a half-Uzumaki, but it was something, and acknowledgment alone would mean the world to her, especially with the recent tension in her homeland.

"That works," Sakura agreed. "But if you want my advise, stop being a Dobe and introduce yourself, stick with small talk, that sort of thing... And find out if she really is an Uzumaki, and not just someone trying to trick us." She ordered, pushing Naruto back towards the bound girl.

Naruto crept back to his redheaded apparent-relative, and with nervousness evident in both voice and posture, introduced himself properly.

"Um... I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki... But you already knew that..." he said, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

_"He like his friends, and ramen, while his dislikes are waiting for ramen to cook and mean people,"_ Kirlia added helpfully, beaming up at the taller pair. _"His hobbies are training and learning, and his dream is to be the best Hokage ever! Dattebayo!" _She finished with a wink as she bit her tongue in response to the playful tease towards her partner's unusual verbal tick.

An' this is Kirlia-chan," Naruto finished, smiling fondly at his partner. "An' that's Sakura-chan and her Eevee, An' Sasuke with Charmeleon."

"Sakura-chan?" Karin repeated, a bit unpleasantly. "Is she your girlfriend or something?"

Karin didn't think so, but it was pretty obvious that her blond cousin was smitten, and just as obvious that the pinkette didn't return the feeling.

"He wishes," Sakura replied instead. "I keep telling him that Sasuke-kun is the only one for me, but he just keeps trying. It drives me crazy!"

Watching the sunny blond smile turn brittle, as well as the expression of familiar pain that flitted across his face, Karin felt her temper rise.

"Well, that's great then," Karin countered defensively. "You keep your Uchiha, I'm sure Naruto can do much better than a petty little skank like you,"

"What did you call me?" Sakura fired back, Eevee growling in agreement. "Don't forget who's in charge here. I can slap you back in that wall so fast your head will spin!"

"Why? I haven't taken one step towards your precious 'Sasuke-kun'," Karin replied angrily. "I never said anything about not hurting your feelings Bubblegum Princess. What goes around comes around, and long-lost or not, family sticks up for each other!"

Sakura was taken aback by the vehemence of the Grass-nin's declaration, and the redhead would have charged her, had Naruto not step between them.

"Hey! Cut it out, both of ya!" Naruto yelled, holding Karin back with one hand and sending a pointed look at at Sakura, before turning back to the relative that even Sakura was beginning to suspect was true.

"Karin, she's my friend... if that's all she wants, then I'm willing to accept that. Sakura-chan, please don't antagonize Karin, we've all been through a lot lately, so try to cut her some slack. Besides, she's got some reason to dislike you anyway, since you did threaten to bury her alive..."

The girls glared at each other a beat longer before Karin looked away.

"If you say so..." she conceded. "I apologize, Sakura-san." Karin was certain she could at least manage to be civil, if only for Naruto's sake.

"I... I understand," Sakura replied. "Naruto's right... about me being on edge I mean. I don't like Sasuke-kun being hurt... And Naruto has been pestering me for a date for years."

"A guy can dream, can't he?" Naruto replied enthusiastically. "Besides, the Teme's had girls chasing him around for even longer. Long as you don't treat me the way he treats you all, I figure I'm not doing too bad."

Sakura winced at the comparison between her treatment of Naruto and Sasuke's treatment of his admirers, but let the subject drop, returning to her seat against the wall. They both had been getting better, right?

"Now that that's settled, why don't you tell me a lil bit about yourself?" Naruto asked, settling himself to the floor in front of Karin.

Karin looked to the Pink-haired girl, wondering if Naruto's casual dismissal of the threat was a slight against herself, but quickly realized that he simply hadn't expected Sakura to apologize in the first place.

He probably hadn't expected one from herself either...

"You deserve better than her," Karin muttered, sinking to a seat herself. If this was what he expected from a girl, it's a wonder he was as nice as he'd been to her.

"She's not that bad," Naruto remarked. "She's just a little rough around the edges..." He scratched the back of his head, fully aware of the potential hypocrisy of him claiming someone else unrefined.

_"Besides, Naruto has his own secret admirers..."_ Kirlia added coyly.

"I do?" he asked in surprise. "Anyone I know? Tell me, tell me!"

_"A lady never shares secrets of the heart,"_ Kirlia replied with a wink._ "I did tell you that before."_

Not even a hint?" Naruto pressed with more than a little whine in his voice.

_"Not even a little one,"_ Kirlia replied merrily._ "You'll have to figure it out on your own."_

"Bah! You're just teasin' me," Naruto replied with a pout. "I bet there's no 'secret admirers' at all..."

_"Reverse psychology doesn't work on mind readers,"_ Kirlia said smugly.

"...Cheater," Naruto accused grumpily.

_"Well, if you don't like it, then learn to shield your thoughts better,"_ Kirlia advised._ "It's not a difficult skill for psychic types to learn, and once we're past the 'ramenramenramen' part of your mind, it's not hard to understand."_

Naruto knew she had a point, which he would have to address at some point in the near future, now that he knew how to access his mindscape, but an attack on his favorite food had only one possibly response.

He blew a raspberry at Kirlia.

The child-like pokemon looked appalled at the childish attack... until she returned his challenge with equal vigor.

The immature display continued, with each putting more effort into their crude watergun attacks until bubbling laughter interrupted them.

The two looked to Karin, who laughed more openly at their expressions, especially since their tongues still hung out loosely, and Sakura sighed in exasperation, though even she seemed more amused than annoyed by their antics.

"Are things always this... lively... between you two?" Karin asked between giggles.

"...Apparently," Naruto admitted at length, looking to his partner fondly. Kirlia had turned away and was brushing off her dress pointedly. She was also blushing a bit after realizing what she'd done in front of their guest.

"She just evolved, so I guess this is her new normal," Naruto added, and he didn't sound unhappy about that at all.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Naruto lashed out and grabbed his pokemon by the back of her dress and pulled her into his lap.

Kirlia struggled half-heartedly, but her efforts were pretty obviously more for show, and she didn't even bother trying to hide the pleasure she felt at being close to her partner, settling back against him quickly.

"So, where were we?" Naruto asked, as he and Kirlia both turned their attention to Karin.

"Well, my name is Karin Fuuma-Uzumaki..." She began, a bit unsure of how to proceed, before just deciding to use Kirlia's introduction of Naruto as a guideline.

"I like to collect perfume, and learning healing jutsu, as well as working to advance medical techniques and understanding, which I'm learning from O...ne of my teachers." She declined to say that one of her primary medical tutors was Orochimaru-sama, knowing that Konoha ninja might have a poor view of the man.

"I'm not fond of bugs, annoying people, or gyoza, but my favorite food is okonomiyaki." She shivered a bit at the mention of bugs. If she never saw another one as big as that freaky spider, it would still be too soon.

"I don't have many hobbies, aside from my perfume collection, since I spend so much time studying medical theory, but my dream is to become a doctor as skilled as Tsunade-sama, and to bring my clans back to prominence."

According to Orochimaru-sama, she was already as skilled as the Sannin medic had been in her youth, thanks to her Uzumaki heritage and the healing power transference ability he'd taught her, though for some reason he referred to her unusual regeneration as 'Senju vitality'.

She'd tried telling him she wasn't a Senju a few times, but he seemed to wave it off, so Karin eventually just let it go. Eccentricity was a trait all geniuses were supposed to have, and having trouble with names was a minor price to pay in exchange for the wealth of knowledge the man possessed.

"Clans?" Naruto asked curiously. As far as he knew, it was highly unusual for a ninja to be claimed by more than one clan, at least in Konoha.

"I'm... not a full Uzumaki," Karin admitted, fidgeting a bit. "My dad was Yousai Uzumaki, son of Hiwaka Uzumaki, and my mom is Kioko Fuuma... from the Land of Rice Paddies."

She glanced up at Naruto, not sure what his reaction might be. She hadn't even been raised an Uzumaki. Aside from her dad and Gramma, she'd never even met one until now.

The blonde just reached out and patted her bound hands comfortingly. "Family's family, right? Just promise to introduce me to them someday and we'll call it good."

She smiled shyly at that idea, it might not be that easy with how much her relatives were arguing over whether or not to accept Orochimaru-sama's offered aid.

"I can try," she promised weakly. "If you're ever near there I mean..."

"That's good enough for me," Naruto replied, smiling winningly.

The two, or three counting Kirlia, sat comfortably for hours telling the stories of their lives while Sakura monitored their still sleeping teammate.

Predictably, Naruto minimized his struggles and loneliness, while emphasizing his adventures, and Sakura might have interrupted, if it weren't for the knowledge that it wasn't her place to do so.

Plus, he was getting pretty good at telling these stories, probably due to the number of times he'd had to repeat the events in Wave.

Sakura paid much closer attention to the girl's words, knowing it wasn't impossible that she was somehow involved with Orochimaru.

Karin claimed that her father and grandmother had moved to the Land of Rice Paddies a few years prior to the destruction of their ancestral home.

According to what her father had told her, his mother whom Karin referred to fondly as 'Gramma', had once been a member of Uzu's ruling council, until some significant argument caused a falling out of sorts.

Words were spoken which the prideful woman wouldn't, or couldn't, take back, and she lost her seat in disgrace.

Rather than remain ostracized in her homeland, she had chosen to leave, moving to join a distant relative who had moved away to pursue a simpler life in the rural Land of Rice Paddies.

As the inadvertent cause of the conflict, her son, a recently graduated genin of modest talent, joined her in voluntary exile, eventually finding a place of his own, thanks in large part to a local girl whom he soon fell for.

Karin never learned the subject of that argument, for though her father had been told, he solidly refused to think on the fate his loving mother had nearly consigned him to.

And as for the woman herself, a number of iron-clad seals prevented her from ever betraying her village, or sharing the name of the girl chosen to become the Kyuubi's new jailer instead of her son.

In fact, the only thing Karin's Gramma had ever said to her about their homeland was a bitter acknowledgment of it's destruction, and advising the girl that it was her duty to do right by her heritage.

It was the first time Karin had heard herself named as an Uzumaki, and though she would have realized it eventually, the connection between herself and the names in her academy textbook proved distressing for the young girl.

Her father had died a few years prior on a routine border patrol, slain by an unknown enemy that had apparently just been passing through the neutral country, and learning that she and her Gramma might be the last of their family left reopened that old wound, even though her Fuuma side was still rather numerous.

That event had marked the last great fight between Karin's mother and Grandmother, when the shopkeeping civilian confronted her former ninja in-law about piling such expectations on a child.

Her Gramma had argued back just as vehemently that Karin should never have been a Fuuma, and that it was a disgrace to her Uzumaki ancestors.

She seemed to forget that it was her own anger at Uzushiogakure that led to her son's decision to 'fully acclimate' to their new home, and thus take his wife's name.

The two's arguments had been nearly legendary, and it was believed that only the seals binding her chakra, coupled with her advanced age, kept them verbal rather than physical.

Maybe she had been too upset by a civilian calling a former ninja to task yet again, or maybe simple age caught up to her, or it could have been that she stepped too far over the line imposed by the silencing seals, but between one irate word and the next, Hiwaka Uzumaki collapsed.

Her mother had done all she could, but by the time Karin returned with a medic, it was obviously too late... and the fate of the Uzumaki line was fully in her hands.

The medic ruled the death a stroke, an accident of chance not uncommon in excitable people of her grandmother's age.

Against her mother's wishes, Karin continued on the path towards her ninja career, receiving what she considered confirmation of her choice when she happened across one of the wandering Legendaries on her first C-rank mission.

As soon as she returned from that escort mission, she changed her name officially to Karin Fuuma-Uzumaki, to honor both sides of her lineage, though she knew it hurt her mother's feelings.

Of course, her mother wasn't happy when she was chosen to attend the Exams as part of the neighboring Grass country's applicants, an arrangement set up by Orochimaru-sama to increase the number of his own people attending the exam.

She said little about her training, aside from reiterating her interest in medical ninjutsu, and her lofty goals in that specialty.

Information on missions was equally sparse, ostensibly because nothing she might offer could compare to Naruto's tale of Wave, though she did admit that her homeland had a D-rank similar to the hated Tora retrieval, in the form of four Squirtle that occasionally made mischief in the rice paddies.

When Naruto pressed her to tell him the story of her C-rank, she did so reluctantly, since it was only a routine grain shipment to the land under the village of Waterfall's protection.

In fact, the only unusual thing they encountered was a playful seeming colt running across the surface of one of the many rivers which flowed down from Iwa and across the terrace-like terrain.

As soon as the pokemon realized there were ninja about, it rushed up and eagerly introduced itself as Keldeo, a Legendary of Colt Water, and one of the 'Four Sacred Swords'.

Despite it's apparent youth, and earnest nature, it's dangerous looking horn was evidence of how it had earned the title.

The team decided to camp early that day, and spent it with the three plates Keldeo had all but forced upon them before running off once more with a considerable spring in it's step.

Naruto's eyes literally shone at hearing about another Legendary, and shared his own experience with the much larger, and much much more orange Moltres.

Even after the overall stories were done, the two continued chatting away, Naruto telling her about his time as 'Prank King of Konoha' and Karin sharing stories of her more amusing relatives, and about her life as part of a small clan in a mostly peaceful country, particularly since it was one of the few able to maintain a stance of true neutrality.

Only the lands of Rice Paddies, Vegetables, and Iron had the value to truly maintain a position outside the power struggles of the Great Five countries, and only because their destruction or displeasure would be so dangerous to the lands reliant on them.

It was for this reason alone that the valuable countries hadn't been annexed by any of their larger neighbors during the second or third wars, since one of the other sides would inevitably attempt to take them away, or failing that raze the countries to the ground, possibly triggering a decades-long famine across the elemental kingdoms.

Or a hellish counterattack by the well armed and armored samurai of the Land of Iron. There was a reason it was considered the land of choice for political negotiations afterall.

But the Lands of Rice Paddies and Vegetables were far too valuable to risk their destruction, largely due to their beneficial geographical positions, and the number of friendly water, grass and ground pokemon that inhabited them.

The amount of food produced by those two countries was simply staggering, supplying nearly sixty percent of the needs of the rest of the Elemental Kingdoms combined, a good thing, considering all the land dedicated to keeping 'Hidden villages' something close to hidden.

Indeed, their reliance on the earth's bounty made farming and gardening something of a tradition for their leaders, with the Daimyo and their families maintaining personal gardens, which had become something of a competition over the last century.

Because of this, it was rumored that the Daimyo of Rice Paddies would grant any favor within his power to whomever could bring him rare or unique flowers that might give him an edge over his rival's more diverse display.

AT the very least, it was enough to cinch Orochimaru's request for land to create a new village, in exchange for a literally one of a kind giant violet lotus, which he had created by crossbreeding a normal one with one of the massive carnivorous blooms from the Forest of Death.

He was determined to turn his remaining mokuton samples to some profit, even if all the human grafts had turned out to be failures.

And he would admit some curiosity as to whether or not the parent strain's appetite might manifest...

The foolish man had agreed instantly, and his only attempt at negotiation had been a belated request that the village not interfere with the crops.

Not that Karin knew how her respected teacher had secured the right to build his village, or the truth behind those 'vicious rumors' that had been spread about him.

Neither did she know how many of those 'proud looks' he gave her when she succeeded in her medical training could be more accurately named as speculative, as he wondered how long her 'Senju' vitality might manage to counter the innate corruption caused by his body transfer jutsu.

Or that he'd already decided to test that theory, after experimenting in an Uchiha body, and letting the girl reach her full potential.

* * *

Hours later, the relatively relaxed visit was interrupted when Kirlia announced yet more unexpected visitors.

This time, when the sentry clone crept towards the entrance to their hide, Kirlia kept it and it's creator linked, just in case.

* * *

"Dammit Dosu, there's no way that Uchiha bastard would be this far from the action!" A petulant voice drifted down into the cave.

"Are you implying that I've made a mistake, Zaku?" Another asked, voice rough and menace obvious in it's tone.

"I ain't implying shit! I'm saying it straight: You fucked up!" Zaku countered, matching Dosu's menace with hot anger. "I told ya we should have just staked out the tower itself and waited for the weakling, but you just had to go all 'magic ears' on us and lead us all over hell and half of Suna!"

"Zaku, shut up," their kunoichi put in. "Dosu's the only one of us with any tracking skill worth mentioning, and if you've forgotten, every ninja in this stupid forest will be headed for that tower, and the last thing we need is someone playing hero when we finally corner the target."

"To say nothing of the unnecessary battles that would find us that near the tower," Dosu agreed, though his monotonous voice held no hint of gratitude for the girl's point.

"Tch, like I'm afraid of anyone here," Zaku replied, though it was obvious he'd given the argument up as lost. "So where the hell is he, oh illustrious leader?" he added sarcastically.

"I'm not quite sure," Dosu admitted, leveling a one-eyed glare at his loud teammate. "Someone's incessant whining must have caught their attention, because they aren't talking anymore."

"Oh please, you aren't trying to tell me you tracked the Uchiha down by 'listening really hard'," Zaku scoffed.

"Of course not," Dosu conceded. "I listened for his loudmouth teammate."

"Can it really be harder than copying someone's answer by listening to the scrape of their pencil?" Kin asked the still incredulous Zaku.

"Especially when the moron hasn't shut up all morning..." Dosu growled. "I should tell you his life story, just to share the headache listening to it gave me."

"Save it for later," Kin replied slyly. "Then you can tell us how it ends too..."

"That sounds good to me," Zaku agreed. "Just find 'em already."

Dosu chuckled darkly as he resumed his prowl for places that would fit the nearly impossible clues he'd picked up on...

A bit of an echo... maybe a hollow trunk, or tunnel of some sort?

When the giant spider leapt from it's burrow, stabbing down with impressive fangs, Dosu wasn't surprised.

He had trained himself well, and even an owl's flight was as audible to him as a doorbell.

He was surprised when the spider collapsed into smoke and chakra around the spike-like fingers of his gauntlet he'd stabbed into the arachnid's face.

"Well well," he crooned, looking into the spider's den. "Looks like we found them... Care to knock for us Zaku?"

"Gladly," the taller boy smirked, pointing his unusual palms towards the entrance.

"**Slicing Sound Waves!**" He shouted, releasing twin beams of air and sound from the holes in his palm, which expanded to fill the tunnel.

Screams echoed from the hideout, along with ricocheting stone as the false wall Sakura had built shattered under the assault.

The sound trio's battle would have ended right there if it hadn't been for the turns Sakura had added to foil just such an attempt.

Before the trio could stalk in and claim their victory, they were forced back by a cloud of stinging sand, driven by a greater blast of wind than even Zaku had produced.

The imitation sandstorm was short-lived, largely because none of those trapped within wanted to risk suffocation if Naruto and Eevee's attack was sustained.

As the grains drifted to the earth, all the members of Team Seven strolled out, scuffed and scratched, but otherwise none the worse for wear.

"Are you sure these are the guys?" Sasuke asked, looking out over the trio without even bothering to hide his disdain.

"They're from sound, and they were obviously looking for us, so it has to be them," Sakura answered confidently.

"Hmph. Is he trying to insult us? I would think an Uchiha would rate more than these weaklings..." Sasuke mused derisively.

"Just who the hell are you callin' weaklings?" The always irritable Zaku countered. "We're plenty strong enough to take out some Konoha trash! **Slicing Sound Waves!**"

The sound genin once more blasted his unique attack, but Naruto was ready, and threw his own hands forward to fire off his own jutsu.

Naruto's twister slammed into Zaku's wave of invisible blades, and both lost cohesion, scattering destruction across the field between the two teams.

"Wow, you sure showed me," Sasuke remarked drily. "Tied with a dead last Dobe in a 'who blows more' competition."

"Well, the cutting thing was pretty cool though," Naruto admitted, honestly interested. "How'd ya make it do that?"

Naruto's twister possessed more brute strength, at least in part because of his much higher chakra reserves, but the sharp gouges carved into the turf around them were all Zaku's doing.

"Heh, like I'm gonna tell you anythin'," Zaku replied snidely. He hadn't bothered to lower his arms, being fully intent on ending the confrontation in only one way.

"You know... if just give us your earth scroll, we might be willing to let you run away without the beating you came here to find," Sasuke offered coldly. "It would be a shame to risk killing someone who's just trying to do their job, especially one as impossible as this."

"You're pretty confident for a team that's been hiding in the middle of nowhere," Dosu observed suspiciously. "Too confident I would say... especially given how obvious it is that you were expecting us... Who warned you? Was it one of the other Sound teams?

Orochimaru had claimed that their team was the only one to which he'd assigned the mission of assassinating the Uchiha, but even if that was true, few things remained a secret once spoken aloud within the village of Sound, and there was no shortage of ninja hoping to steal glory from another's hands.

"Ol' Slitherpuss told us himself," Naruto replied dismissively. "Right before Kirlia-chan chased him away."

"Slitherpuss?" Kin repeated, shocked by both the implication that their great leader might have entered the forest himself, and the audacity of some genin disrespecting him so impudently.

"You know, Orochimaru? That fang-faced bastard tried hurting Sasuke-kun," Sakura clarified, smiling wickedly. "But we showed that freak good!"

"Crossdressing creep didn't stand a chance," Sasuke agreed with a wide smirk.

"You will refer to Orochimaru-sama with respect!" Zaku roared, "If you don't I'll-"

"Kill us harder?" Sasuke interrupted rudely. "If you have a problem with how we talk about your boss, then tell him to stop running through the woods dressed like an ugly girl."

Zaku bellowed in anger and launched his attack jutsu again and again in rapid succession, but Naruto stopped each one with ease.

When the wind settled, the Sound genin was breathing hard and visibly furious, while Naruto was smirking and seemed daisy-fresh by comparison.

"The hell are you smiling for?" Zaku panted. "I can keep this up all day!" As if to prove his point, he launched another useless attack.

"I'm smilin' cause I can keep this up all week," Naruto replied cockily. "But I got places to be, so I can't play with you all day."

Before Naruto could make good on his implied threat, the Sound team's mummified leader spoke up.

"You claim to have encountered Orochimaru-sama himself, and that he told you of our mission... correct?" He asked, raspy voice devoid of inflection or emotion, in stark contrast to his more volatile teammates.

"Yeah..." Sakura replied hesitantly.

"And that somehow you, a group of genin, managed to defeat one of the Sannin in combat," He continued just as blandly.

"What's your point?" Sasuke demanded sharply.

"It's merely my experience that when a claim sounds unbelievable, that the best course is to actually not believe it," Dosu explained. "I commend you for learning who the Village of Sound's true leader is, though it would probably be more fitting to punish whichever of our misguided brethren leaked it to you. But regardless, if our honored leader had wished to pursue you himself, he would not have assigned the task to us."

"That explains why those three look so damn smug," Kin laughed. "Those losers thought they actually beat a Sannin!"

"But we got sold out by our own side!" Zaku realized, growing angry all over again. "I'll gut those bastards!"

"Relax, we'll have plenty of time to punish them... slowly," Dosu replied. "Our first priority is the completion of our mission."

"We're gonna have to kill all of them now, to make sure they don't spread tales," Kin remarked, not sounding the least bit displeased.

"You two should stop relying on your eyes so much, or at least learn to count," Dosu replied, looking meaningfully at Naruto. "It takes more than a couple of henge'd clones to fool someone like me."

"I'm in no mood for games brat, surrender the Uchiha and you can leave intact," Dosu offered, holding up his unarmored hand to forestall Kin's protest. ""Refuse, and you, him and both girls will die here."

"What are you saying?" Kin said anyway. "There's no way Orochimaru-sama would let you make a call like that!"

"Orochimaru-sama will have no reason to hide his leadership of Sound after we win the exams," Dosu reasoned. "And no one would believe a couple of bitter genin trying to cause trouble for the ones who beat them?"

"Big deal, you saw through my disguise, that's not gonna keep me from cleaning your clocks," Naruto declared as Sakura and Sasuke's henges vanished.

"Big words from a weak genin," Zaku taunted, confidence returned with the more favorable odds. "You won't see me cryin' if you decide to stick around and die."

"Why don't you call out your girlfriends? I wanna see what Konoha kunoichi are made of," Kin added.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan isn't coming out to play. She an' Karin are having 'girl talk' so they might be busy for a while." Naruto replied.

"I think they're talking about Sasuke's butt," the one who'd been disguised as Sakura added in a stage whisper.

"Why would you know that?" The former Sasuke asked, looking mildly ill.

"Hey, I'm just the clone, I should be asking you!" Former-Sakura replied crossly. "You think I like having memories of those nutty girls giggling about the Teme's ass?"

"What do you mean me? I thought you were the real one!" Former-Sasuke countered.

A moment passed, and both turned to the undisguised one, who just shrugged.

"I don't remember," he admitted. "We're all so alike I just stopped keeping track."

"Then we just kill them all and find the one that bleeds," Dosu growled, annoyed at the interplay, and the fact that he couldn't readily identify which were clones, being identical as far as his limited chakra sensor ability could tell.

"I agree, I can feel myself getting dumber just listening to this crap," Kin concurred, flipping a few senbon into her hand.

"**Slicing Sound Waves!**" Zaku shouted, demonstrating his agreement pointedly.

If he expected the 'surprise' attack to do any more good than his earlier attempts, he was severely mistaken as all three Naruto's fired off dual Gale Palm counters in response.

One was enough to break even, three was just overkill, and Zaku's attack was thrown back like a bird in a hurricane.

More or less expecting such an event, Dosu and Kin leapt away to safety as the storm washed over Zaku, a few of the unaimed air-blades he'd created opening superficial wounds before shattering into nothing as the furious blast knocked the boy himself backwards.

The three Naruto's shared a look and separated, bounding after an opponent with one of the pokemon in tow.

* * *

Former-Sasuke and Charmeleon charged Zaku, who hit the ground rolling and quickly regained his feet.

Simply from habit, the zealot of the Sound trio brought his palms forward, only to curse and abandon that idea when his opponent mimicked the move, his own hands twisted into his own attack's seals.

Obviously the kid hadn't been completely talking out his ass if he could maintain two apparently advanced clones and fire off so many jutsu at the same time, and while it was unlikely that the kid really could maintain the effort for a week, forcing a battle of attrition couldn't end favorably.

Proud as he was of his arm cannons, it would be foolish to ignore their natural disadvantage here, and Orochimaru-sama had little use for fools.

But rarely did anything Orochimaru do serve a single purpose.

Zaku fell into a taijutsu stance, feet close together and hands far apart, with his fingers spread like claws, as he awaited the Konoha-nin's attack, dribbling chakra into the ground through his feet as he did.

Naruto came in with a heavy punch leading, which Zaku prepared to catch, though Naruto realized the plan in time and launched the punch early, letting the weight of it pull him forward to the ground, and under the lancing spike of wind chakra Zaku launched.

Planting his hands on the ground, Naruto pushed himself into the air, over a second spike, and spinning into a downward kick.

Zaku blocked the kick with his forearm, intending to finish the fight with a third spike while the boy was suspended, but was forced to abandon the attempt in favor of dodging a series of stabbing claws from Charmeleon.

Still in the air from his leap backwards, Zaku let out a set of piercing whistles, and flipped backwards to land palms first, releasing a blast of energy into the ground, which combined with the already infused chakra centered around Naruto in an explosion of sand, dirt and debris.

Answering it's partner's coded order, Yamna zipped down from the treetops where it had been helping to watch for potential dangers, in an ever accelerating Quick Attack.

Blending the speed enhancing attack with it's own impressive capacity for flight, Yanma churned the airborn particles into a tornado, leaving the trapped ninja and pokemon disoriented.

With respectable speed, Naruto recovered enough to begin firing off Gale palms, hoping to disrupt the cyclone of stinging particles, but with Yanma maintaining it, and moving too fast for the blind attacks to hit, there was little effect.

Zaku took advantage of the borrowed time to retrieve a pair of thin metal vials from his pouch, dumping their contents into his palm-holes carefully.

He disliked using this attack, since it was a complete bitch to clean out, but he was a firm believer in the old adage of 'There is no kill like overkill'.

Plus, it would be his first time using it in a real combat situation, and he couldn't think of a more annoying jackass to use it on.

A second coded whistle and Yanma ceased it's efforts, flickering to no less than a dozen spots as it send Double Team duplicates to surround the storm while it moved to a more unexpected trajectory.

Zaku stood with his palms toward the Konoha pair, careful to hold his arms in such a way that the chill liquid within wouldn't be lost accidentally.

The twister faded enough to see his target, but Zaku held his attack, wanting to savor his opponent's expression when the attack did it's damage.

He was certain that this was the real genin, since even he knew that clones couldn't think well enough to have anticipated his melee adaption.

It wasn't long before the orange moron saw him, and tried to get his own wind jutsu in line.

Zaku never gave him the chance.

"**Slicing Sound Waves!**" He shouted, reluctantly using the name of his base technique, though he knew this version made the other look like a sneeze by comparison.

That was Dosu's suggestion, pointing out that the surprise was more useful against a confident opponent who believed they could beat it, rather than prompting a more cautious evasion by using something new.

Seeing the blond continue his attempted counter, Zaku had to admit the wisdom of the advise, as well as the more level-headed genin's right to lead the team.

Not that he'd ever admit it to the smug bastard.

The air in his cannons responded sluggishly, compared to what he was used to, but that was to be expected, due to the items he had dumped into them, but the delay was barely noticeable to any but himself.

The cloud of lubricant that exploded out with the multitude of tiny metal beads however, would have been much more obvious.

But by then it was too late, and even a jounin would have been hard-pressed to escape unharmed.

Naruto got off his own Gale Palm Twister, not noting the unusual additions to Zaku's attack, surrounded as he was by still drifting dust, but without the compression they had just escaped, mere wind was ineffective against the ammunition.

Charmeleon, having charged immediately upon regaining something resembling visibility, was the first to find the objects, a handful tearing through him simultaneously, and before the smoke of the still disguised shadowclone appeared, the oblivious Naruto was ripped apart as well.

"Orochimaru-sama is so gonna love that one," Zaku grinned. So what if the target turned out to be some kinda smoke clone, the damage was still well above what a genin should be capable of doing.

His revered leader had been quite firm as to the risks that he faced if his arms became clogged, but willing to make any sacrifice for his beloved leader, it was only a matter of time before Zaku bit the kunai and tried to advance beyond their original intent.

The hardest part had been finding a lubricant strong enough to ensure that the projectiles would exit properly, but safe enough that it wouldn't damage the hollow bones excessively.

The difficulty, and pain, involved in cleaning the cannons was a small price to pay for the glory of serving Orochimaru-sama even more effectively.

It was just a shame he couldn't use the attack too often, due to the bone damage the beads caused each time he fired them.

* * *

Former-Sakura and Eevee chose Kin as their opponent, and the girl hopped defensively away, flinging a number of senbon as she did, which proved predictably useless.

Drawing a needle in each hand, she gave up her retreat and returned Naruto's charge, hoping to throw him off balance with the sudden transition, she didn't miss Eevee's flight into the shrubbery nearby, but dismissed it for now.

But a lifetime of pranking people far stronger and faster than himself had honed Naruto's reaction time to considerable acuity, and he adjusted without missing a beat.

He stopped her leading strike by grabbing the girl's wrist, before seallessly shifting inch long claws onto his fingers.

Despite the distraction caused by the change literally right in front of her eyes, she continued her second attack, a low stab towards his kidneys, which Naruto blocked with his forearm, before pistoning his arm forward into her gut.

Kin recovered quickly, and spun away before it became a serious injury, though she gained a few more slices when she yanked her wrist from his grasp.

She shook the blood from her arm, glaring at the blond who had begun smiling cheekily when her rapid movement set the large and unusually festive bell binding the end of her long hair to ringing.

"What are you so happy about?" She asked angrily, drawing and setting fly with another set of her special senbon.

Naruto waved them down with a one handed Gale palm, shrugging the other shoulder at her lazily.

"No reason really, bells are just... Happy, you know?" He replied, still smiling.

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean," Kin replied under her breath, listening to the jingle of the large bell.

Thinking the girl unaware, Eevee chose that moment to join the fray, but somehow Kin was able to dodge, leaving Eevee open for a counter as she ended her rush past, jaws regrettably empty of Sound ninja.

Frequent training sessions with Ralts had given Eevee a veritable sixth sense when it came to evading senbon, and the bells attached to these only made that task easier.

Eevee zigged and zagged, until with a hop and a cloud of dirt and sod, she bored her way into the earth and away from the potentially stinging projectiles.

Kin returned her attention to Naruto in time to catch his attack between her own crossed senbon, somewhat surprised to see him holding a kunai in his clawed hands.

He smiled again, wide enough to almost force his eyes closed when he noticed the tiny bell hanging from one senbon, but wasn't worldly enough yet to know of any way it could be a threat.

She drew back and stabbed at him again, but the boy dodged, blocked and countered her attempts easily, not that it surprised Kin, who began to curse her own limited skill in close combat.

"So... I gotta ask," Naruto commented conversationally. "Is there some rule or somethin' that says pretty girls gotta use those senbon?"

"W-what the hell's that supposed to mean?" Kin demanded, pushing past the surprising comment easily with a flurry of feminine anger.

"It was just a question!" Naruto protested, retreating quickly before the energetic, if poorly aimed attacks.

"You won't deceive me with such an obvious trick!" Karin spat. "Only a fool would allow an enemy's flattery to fluster them!"

"What trick? What flattery?" Naruto yelped, slipping around behind Kin when she overreached a particularly vicious slash. "It was just a stupid question!"

"Flirtatious pig!" Kin continued, turning to follow the suddenly worried boy with hateful eyes. "Don't think Orochimaru-sama didn't warn me of the kind of men this village produces. Jiraiya of the Sannin. Sharingan Kakashi. Even your Kage is a perverted old lecher! I will not be belittled by a... a prepubescent deviant like you!"

Naruto was back on his heels as the apparently unstable girl charged him once more, fingers flying as yet more senbon were sent at him, which he deflected in his usual manner.

Kin hit the ground, sliding under the wind and trying to bury her foot in his gut, with only her relative lack of skill allowing Naruto to evade as rage brought her offensive to new peaks.

"Hey! You can say stuff like that about Kakashi-sensei if you want, an' I never met Jiraiya, but bad mouthin' the Hokage is just askin' for an ass kicking!" Naruto replied angrily, grabbing the girl's scarf and dragging her face to his.

He yelped again and pushed her away when the girl tried to bite his nose off, teeth clicking together with loud finality.

"Of course you would defend your precious Kage, since he excuses such behavior," Kin replied, voice full of derision, stalking forward once more. "I would bet he's just as perverse as that incorrigible student of his, even if he is too old to do anything with it himself."

"Look, I don't know what made you so mad, but I was just tryin' to ask a question," Naruto said, trying to salvage something relatively sensible out of the situation, as he held off her attacks. "I just wanted to know if I should get some senbon for Sakura-chan... I mean, you're the second pretty girl I've met who uses 'em, and I was curious. Didn't think you'd be so damn crazy..."

"A woman's appearance has no impact on the weapons she choose, unless they're seduction specialists," Kin finally deigned to answer, though her tone was barely civil. "I prefer senbon because I can carry much more of them than I could other weapons, and they suit my chosen specialty."

"I guess that makes sense," Naruto agreed sullenly. "An' I guess Haku-chan uses 'em so she can do that pressure point thing. Probably tough to hit the right spots with something as big as a kunai... Why are girls so hard to shop for?" he mumbled grumpily.

Kin's thought process skipped a beat at that, though she was well trained enough, and Naruto was paranoid enough by now, that it didn't cost her too greatly in the exchanging attacks.

"You were not just trying to get my advice for a present for your girlfriend," Kin stated, hoping for an affirmative.

"Well, why wouldn't I? You're a kunoichi too, so I bet you got a lot of good ideas!" Naruto replied loudly, though he followed it up with some grumble about everyone thinking they were together.

"I'm trying to kill you!" Kin exclaimed.

"Yeah, now." Naruto replied with another grin. "Haku-chan tried to do that too a couple times, but now we're best friends, and pen pals!"

"She probably doesn't have much choice, being in prison and all," Kin replied viciously. Orochimaru-sama had explained quite graphically the fate awaited enemy females in a village like Konoha.

Involuntary experimentation and breeding programs were the least of the evils this Haku must face daily.

"Just what the hell are you saying?" Naruto fired back, anger at the girl entering his tone for the first time.

"She tried to kill a Konoha shinobi, even that soft fool you call a Kage wouldn't let something like that slide," Kin replied accusingly.

"It wasn't Jiji's call," Naruto replied, mastering his anger with some effort. "She was doing her job, we did ours. Once we killed the bad guy she was working for, we let her go."

"How very noble of you," Kin replied sarcastically, not for a second believing the boy's story. They might have let her go alright, but not without making absolutely certain she could never be a threat again.

And how long, and with what quality of life could a woman hope for after being crippled badly enough for that?

"I can make the same deal for you," Naruto offered. "Jiji, the Hokage, he's like family to me. Tell him what you know about Ol' Slitherpuss and what he did to Sasuke, and you can be free of him. Pick your own life from now on... whaddaya say?"

Naruto stopped fighting, or what they were calling it at the time, releasing the clawed transformation and dropping his kunai to the ground as he stepped toward her, hand held out in offering.

Honestly shocked, Kin stared at the boy for a long moment... before bursting out into cruel laughter.

"This is it?" She gasped between her laughs. "This is your plan for defeating us? Offering to 'save' me from my leader, to 'rescue' me from the man who gave me the strength to stand here now?"

"Or am I supposed to surrender in exchange for the privilege of serving people like you in a Konoha whorehouse?" She snarled.

"We serve Orochimaru-sama by choice! He saved us from you and all the other so-called Great Villages!" She ranted her eyes a mirror reflecting the pride she felt at being one of her master's chosen. "He lifted us up from the dirt you've trampled beneath your sandals! Orochimaru-sama is our master, our leader, our savior, and serving him is our greatest honor!"

"None of the scraps you or your wretched Kage have to offer could possibly match the glory of being praised by Orochimaru-sama, the dignity of being allowed to polish his weapons, the very pleasure of knowing that what I do, I do for him." She stated with quiet intensity, the faith she held for her lauded leader undeniable.

"This conversation is over," she decided, after a moment of quiet contemplation. "I will no longer tolerate your disrespect for Orochimaru-sama."

"But-" Naruto began, but broke off almost before even that short word was complete, as the ringing of Kin's bells filled his ears.

He fell to his knees in the dirt, hands clasped tightly over his ears, as Kin stalked forward with death in her eyes.

"This is for insulting Orochimaru-sama," She swore, leaning down and stabbing a senbon into each of the boy's temples, hoping to scramble the boy's brain like an omelet, convinced that only the real boy would try to convert her so uselessly.

But she stumbled when the boy burst into smoke beneath her.

The instant Naruto's clone vanished, a hand shot out of the dirt beneath where he'd been, latching onto Kin's scarf and dragging her down.

The motion set the genjutsu bells to ringing, but her attacker's grip was sure, and the vertigo of little use in this case, and soon she was planted face down in the dirt, one hand fisted in her hair, a knee in her back, and the sharp point of the retrieved kunai pointed quite firmly into the flesh over her spine and heart.

"I told him that probably wouldn't work," Sakura said quietly, clumps of dirt spilling from her as she leaned over her prisoner, "but for what it's worth, you should have accepted his offer."

"Vee!" Eevee agreed, finally connecting with her bite attack and severing the thin strings leading towards the genjutsu bells.

Sakura smiled her thanks at the pokemon as she felt the disorienting effects fade away.

"Think you got me all _wrapped_ up do you?" Kin asked, confident despite her predicament.

The origin of that bravado became apparent when thick ropes whipped around her arms and yanked the pinkette backwards and off the Sound-nin, who snatched Eevee by the scruff of her neck.

"You are so going to pay for that, Princess," Kin said, grabbing a fistful of hair and shaking both captives roughly.

Now on Sakura's back, and the source of the binding attack, the large bell that was Chingling was set ringing by the motion. _(Wrap)_

* * *

Naruto and Kirlia approached Dosu cautiously, already aware that the hunched genin was probably the most intelligent and perceptive of the Sound trio.

"You may as well drop the disguise," Dosu suggested monotonously. "It didn't fool me the first time, why would it now?"

"Fine," 'Kirlia' replied, reverting to yet another copy of Naruto. "But if you could see though all of the henges, why didn't ya tell your teammates?"

"If they can be fooled by such a weak deception, even after I pointed it out once, then they deserve to find out the hard way," Dosu claimed. "Think of it as a learning experience," he added darkly.

"Dangerous way to teach, sure glad you ain't an academy sensei," the clone decided.

Dosu chuckled, though it sounded more like he was choking on a fistful of gravel than a demonstration of amusement. "It would only be dangerous if you or your team posed a threat, and I doubt very much that your entire team would pose a serious threat against any one of us, at least once the real fighting begins."

"Pretty confident for a guy who hasn't fought a real person yet," Former-Kirlia remarked.

"Heck, he hasn't even thrown a damn punch yet," the other clone added.

"I prefer not to waste more time than necessary on decoys," Dosu replied. "Though I am willing to make exceptions in pursuit of information."

"Well, we ain't tellin' you nothin'!" one countered, while the other mimed zipping his lips by way of agreement.

"Oh, you've told me quite a bit already," Dosu replied "Even ignoring that overblown biography that led me here."

"For example: That you are here rather than the Uchiha, whom we know to be... pretentious, to state it plainly, implies that he is at least injured. That he hasn't objected within my considerable hearing implies that his condition is quite severe."

"That the only undisguised members of your welcome wagon were you," he said, gesturing to the original Naruto, "and Eevee suggests that either you are the only ones capable of fighting, or more likely, that the girl will be joining the fight, probably against Kin."

"And that you disguised yourself as something other than the infantile pokemon you had during the first phase, outright tells me that your little teleporter has evolved, and that she and your real self will probably be joining in on the fun later," he hypothesized further.

"At most, you have three pokemon and two ninja to field against us, but since you can't assume your little Grass-nin guest is on the up and up, you won't even have that many."

"Of course, I could be wrong, and you're planning to abandon the dog and run for your lives... But I doubt a Konoha-nin would be willing to do something so immoral," Dosu finished.

"I really hate fighting smart guys," the more talkative clone moaned frustratedly.

"It's like playing twenty questions with Shikamaru..." the other agreed bitterly.

"So let's see if this loser sucks as much as Shika at our kinda game!" The first decided.

The two charged Dosu, disregarding their earlier concerns and hoping he might be similar to their lazy friend in more than mind.

"Shikamaru: Smart, but lacking in close quarters ability," Dosu assumed, noting the clones' almost reckless rush at him. "Thank you for that information as well. It will certainly come in handy if we come across him in the finals... One more Konoha ninja dead for Orochimaru-sama's plans, all thanks to your big mouth."

Dosu had correctly pegged Naruto as one of those ninja for whom a threat against his friends would weigh more than a threat towards himself, and the clone's faces darkened in response.

Expecting at least part of the reason for his true opponent's choice to hide behind clones to be his own attempt attempt to gather information on the team's abilities, Dosu decided to react with appropriate secrecy.

One of the clones arrested his charge and launched another of those wind attacks, and Dosu shifted into the attack, rather than dodging closer to the still approaching one, placing his bared Melody Arm in position as a shield to deflect the brunt of the jutsu's force.

Music flowed around him in a mournful dirge as Dosu set his chakra dancing within the artificial limb, playing the weapon like one of the instruments it was based on.

The wind jutsu died down and the other clone rushed in, having circled around the still stationary Sound genin, hoping to take advantage of his defensive stance, but a subtle twist and the music still flowing through the air turned from melodious music to sickening shriek.

Dosu focused his efforts on the nearer clone, due to the greater difficulty of bending the sound waves over distances larger than a few meters accurately, twisting the music around and into the clone, pounding it with note after note, searching for the proper resonance to destroy the artificial creation.

Unexpectedly, it reacted in a manner not dissimilar to a real person, rather than a simple construct, which would have ignored the less than obvious attack until it shattered.

But a clever ninja might have his clone fake incapacitation as a lure, and Dosu had no intention of falling for such a ploy.

As the notes scaled through the resonance range required for destabilizing water clones, towards the slightly more stable element clones' destruction range, the false Naruto fell to it's knees, form wavering, until in a sudden motion it grabbed at it's stomach and vomited glowing chakra, dispelling itself from the force of it's convulsions.

Dosu ceased his attack, puzzled by the unusual reaction, which meshed well enough with the clone's strangely human behavior to all but guarantee that this wasn't one of the standard elemental clones he'd encountered before...

Worth mentioning to Orochimaru-sama after the task at hand was completed, but not much more.

Dosu turned away from the cloud of smoke that had been the first of his opponents, and looked to the last clone, certain that he'd revealed nothing of his own abilities, aside from his ability to kill without even a gesture to betray it.

Well worth the effort it took to make his sound manipulation seal-less.

The clone stepped back, pale and shaking, demonstrating fear almost entirely unknown in ordinary clones, not from the sight of Dosu killing one of it's comrades, but from the memories of pain shared by the expired shadowclone.

Due to the makeup of the human body, the sonic resonance that would destroy water clones could also cause significant damage to soft tissues, if maintained for long enough.

The shadowclone's near exact mimicry of their creator's body gave them the same weakness, only with a much lower tolerance threshold.

Because he knew his opponents to be clones, Dosu didn't spike the sound into the false Naruto's ears, expecting that neither vertigo nor brain damage to be viable forms of offense against them, which was true for most of the variant clone types, who were little more than programmed puppets.

It took a long moment for the clone to divorce itself from the horrible sensations... a moment too long when facing one of Orochimaru's more ruthless recruits.

Dosu dealt with it in much the same way he had the giant spider, noting that this one too puffed away into smoke.

The sound Ninja closed his eye and listened intently, trying to locate the real boy's inevitable reemergence.

He could hear Zaku well enough to know that the borderline psychotic had things well enough in hand, and he easily heard another of the probable clones spouting nonsense at Kin, trying to win her over to the 'Will of Fire' more likely than not.

And underneath that, literally, he could hear the scrabbling of more than four paws clawing their way through the earth.

But nothing else attracted his attention.

He considered making his way to Kin, either to assist her when the apparent trap was sprung, or simply to witness her probably explosive rebuttal.

Kin was among the most viciously loyal of Sounds' genin, and this wasn't the first time some misguided fool had attempted to poach a skilled ninja from a smaller village with flowery words.

Such events were almost commonplace in some villages, though Kumo had been most notorious among them, largely due to the 'involuntary transfer program' it's previous Kage had implemented, until the current Raikage ended the policy upon ascendance.

Probably worried a war would start before he could consolidate his reign.

But entertaining as it would be to watch Kin vent her wrath on the foolish boy, Dosu was professional enough to put the mission first.

He wasn't even surprised when he found yet another blond obstacle waiting for him at the lip of the cave-like pit.

* * *

Charmeleon exited the tunnel of crumbling earth he and Eevee had carved for Sakura, since the girl wasn't willing to risk building one herself, just in case the Sound ninja could sense chakra use like the mummy apparently could.

He shook the stifling sand from himself, glad to be out where his flame could burn at least a little more freely, to find the strange redhead leaning over his partner, her hands at his throat.

He reacted in a fiery flash, charging the girl with jaws wide and flames licking along his fangs.

"No!" He heard, as a stinging blow to the jaw knocked his maw shut long before he could set it around the apparent betrayer's own neck. "No. No. No. Audino!" _(Doubleslap)_

The repeated blows turned Charmeleon's head to and fro, before dropping him to the ground, where he turned a baleful glare up at the flop-eared pokemon.

"Audino-no-dino!" the pokemon scolded, hands on it's hips.

Char, charmeleon char char!" He fired back, literally, hopping back to his feet. He'd be damned to a watery grave before he stood by and let someone kill a pack member.

"Dino dino audi-din." She replied haughtily, setting Charmeleon aback, for it was indeed an insult to assume that one of the few true medic pokemon would kill someone, at least outside of an actual life-or-death battle, or condone such actions in their partner.

"Chaar," he replied sheepishly, as much of an apology as he was willing to give, considering their current circumstances.

"Audino!" She replied happily, dismissing the conflict and creating a bubble of pink energy, with which she tapped Charmeleon, causing it to burst into a shower of glittering light and healing the injuries she had inflicted. _(Heal Pulse)_

The disagreement handled, Audino returned to Sasuke's side with Karin, who had yet to look away from her fascinated study of the curse mark on his neck.

Karin was amazed at what she could 'see' within the Uchiha by focusing her potent chakra sensing ability upon the mark.

There was a mass of foreign chakra locked within his body, from which a number of snaking roots projected, seeking to bore their way into his chakra coils.

Invasive chakra wasn't anything unusual, entire sections of the ninja culture were built around it, everything from Genjutsu and Medical techniques to the famous Hyuuga taijutsu style, all relied on forcing chakra into an opponent.

But this was almost unique in her experience, in that the majority of the chakra, so dense as to be nearly solid to her senses, was doing a whole lot of nothing, aside from holding off the attempts to forcibly remove the intruding tendrils made by the boy's natural healing.

Her first instinct, the same as any healer would have, was to attack the mass directly, bombarding it with chakra until it dissipated, but she knew before even trying that it would be a useless gesture. It would be years before she had the control or chakra capacity to create a spike of chakra sharp and hard enough to even chip something that dense.

Not that she would have anyway, once she recognized it for what it was.

Sasuke Uchiha was truly lucky to have been blessed with one of Orochimaru-sama's enhancement seals.

Which was probably why those jealous Sound ninja had come looking for him.

Orochimaru-sama would never order an attack on someone he so obviously favored, especially with how dangerous the seals already were.

They probably thought they could gain his favor somehow by trying to replace him after making sure he doesn't survive the seal's application, which was utter foolishness.

Aside from the Sasuke dying part, which seemed somewhat likely at the moment.

But luckily, she was one of the few people who'd had ample opportunity to study the successful seals, since Orochimaru-sama rarely went anywhere without his guards, and a couple of them were willing to assist a medic-in-training who wanted to advance their leader's agenda, at least if she asked politely.

So, she had spent a fair amount of time looking at Kimimaro and Jirobo's seals, and while the two were considerably different from this variation, each seal being tweaked a bit to better mesh with it's bearer, there was one major difference that gave her an idea.

The two Sound elite had seals which were fully integrated into their chakra coils, which had grown to encompass them, while Sasuke's was still outside of his, aside from a few of the questing roots.

If she was right, his best bet for survival would be for his coils to accept Orochimaru-sama's gift, rather than fight it like a disease, which was a battle the boy couldn't hope to win.

Altering chakra coils directly was an advanced form of healing, far beyond her current ability... At least her true medical jutsu ability...

But his body already knew how to do what needed to be done, it just needed a push in the right direction, and a bit of a kick start to get it going.

And this wasn't just about doing Naruto a favor anymore, helping Sasuke was in keeping with Orochimaru-sama's will too.

Her course decided, Karin placed the side of her arm between the boy's teeth, and squeezed the boy's jaw shut with her other hand.

Euphoria flooded through her as she activated the technique she considered her own, as her Uzumaki chakra filled the boy, linking her senses to his in a way that transcended empathy.

Pushing past the distracting sensation, Karin set about directing the loaned vitality towards the complicated process that was needed.

* * *

"Not this shit again," Dosu growled at the blond. "How many of these stupid clones are we going to have to destroy?"

"How many do you think you can?" Naruto taunted. "Like I told the other guy, I can keep this up a lot longer than you can."

"I am not Zaku," Dosu countered calmly. "I'm not the type to waste chakra on attacks more powerful than necessary, and I am certain that however many you can create, I can destroy, and with far less effort than the real you will spend making them."

"And unless I miss my guess, the real one has to be nearby to create them. So please, force the fight, create your clones, and let's see how long it takes me to locate and eliminate the real Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto, for this truly was the original, nodded his acknowledgment of the point. Fighting this guy in particular would be dangerous, especially since he didn't know how the heck the first clone he'd sent after the guy had died.

The Zaku kid was a bit of a puzzle too, at least that last time... his clones were poofed before they even knew what happened.

At least he'd been able to piece together the girl's genjutsu trick... stupid bells. Who'd have guessed?

"So, this the real one, or you tryin' to talk it to death?" Zaku commented, striding into the field with one palm already aimed at Naruto, who noticed the other clenched tight and held close to his body where it dripped some dark liquid every so often.

"Please tell me this is the real one..." He pleaded, eyes flashing dangerously.

"I don't know," Dosu admitted, though he didn't turn his eye from the observant blond, who himself eyed the angry genin warily.

"Whaddaya mean you don't know?" Zaku shot back angrily. "You're talkin' to the little shit ain't ya?"

"They are very convincing clones," Kin commented in, strolling up with a bound Eevee in one hand and a fistful of Sakura's long hair in the other, forcing the girl to stumble along behind her. "The one I was fighting gave me quite the recruitment speech."

"It'd have been funny, if it weren't so pathetic... but he left me such a nice present, I think I'll let it slide for now," She said, shoving her captive to the ground, where she landed facefirst, her arms still locked behind her by Chingling's rope-like appendages.

Naruto growled and took a step towards the group, but Kin braced one foot on the back of the prone girl's neck threateningly.

"Now now Clone-san," Kin said in mock courtesy, flipping one long senbon between the fingers of her hand idly. "You wouldn't want to do anything stupid, would you?"

"Kick her ass!" Sakura yelled in response.

Eevee's voiced her agreement more pointedly, as she tried to snap at Kin's thigh, though the girl was more than aware enough to avoid it, and she punched the bound pokemon viciously, before dropping it to the ground right in front of Sakura's eyes, where it moaned dazedly.

Naruto's fists clenched in anger, but he kept his distance, though Sakura tried futilely to struggle closer to her partner.

"Good boy," Kin praised patronizingly. "Now be an obedient little clone and tell us where the original you is, before I do to the Princess here what I did to that other clone..."

"And what if I say I _am _the real one?" Naruto asked.

"Then I'd say you're as brave and stupid as I thought you were," Kin replied. "Such a noble boy, wanting to save the pretty girls from the big bad meanies, even when they don't need or want to be rescued."

"Wait, girls? As in plural?" Zaku asked. "You mean he actually called you pretty? Damn, brat must need glasses! I say we kill him and save him the embarrassment."

"Screw you!" Kin fired back defensively, grabbing the senbon and pointing it at him threateningly. "I'd rather be a real kunoichi than some... painted bimbo!"

"There are pretty kunoichi too ya know, you're just jealous that you'll never be one of them," Zaku replied, smug that he'd gotten a rise out of Kin yet again.

"The point is," Kin growled, leaning down and pressing her heel into Sakura's spine in a show of anger not wholly inspired by the girl herself. "That we're not gonna believe you're the real one without some proof."

She turned a cruel grin towards Naruto. "And you better make it good, or Pinky and me are gonna have some quality time together..."

Sakura shivered as the needle traced across the skin of her face, around her eye and across her nose.

"You said some horrible things about Orochimaru-sama," Kin said, still addressing Naruto. "Terrible, awful lies, and I hate you for that..."

"But I've always hated pretty little princesses like this more," she said, looking at Sakura with an ugly little grin, as the needle continued it's light scratching. "The kind of girl all the boys fight over, right? Perfect hair, perfect skin, and such pretty green eyes... "

"It makes me want to stab them out!" Kin hissed, drawing a line of blood along Sakura's cheek as she unconsciously bore down harder than she intended.

"But that's okay..." Kin said kindly. "Konoha likes pretty girls, Orochimaru-sama told me what happens to kunoichi like you, the kinds of missions you're given... I'd be doing you a favor by killing you..."

"...eventually," Kin added, intentionally gouging another furrow in Sakura's fair skin and eliciting a subdued moan of pain.

"Stop hurting Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, stepping forward again, though Zaku moved to intersperse himself between the two Konoha ninja.

"Sakura-chan is it?" Kin asked, bringing the needle up to admire the blood on it's tip with glittering eyes. "That just makes me want to do it more..." she purred.

"I want her to bleed and cry and scream, and I want you to hear it all! I want this whole damn forest to ring with the sounds of her pain until I'm certain the real you can hear it!" She yelled maliciously. "And I want you to know it's All. Your. Fault."

She tried to stab the needle down once again, at an angle that would have pierced both of Sakura's cheeks and possibly her tongue, to say nothing of what it would do to any teeth in it's way, but Sakura jerked recklessly, pulling herself out of the line of attack and pulling herself out from under Kin's foot.

Kin caught her balance, straddling Sakura with her legs wide and the needle buried in the dirt.

"You should have taken Dosu's offer," Kin said, glaring down at her rebellious captive with a look that promised even more pain. "Taken it and run like the scared rats you are!"

Sakura's counter offer was to slam her forehead into the leaning girl's gut with all the force she could muster, which wasn't as much as she would have liked, since Chingling had begun torquing her bindings painfully.

Sakura responded by throwing herself backwards, attacking the pokemon with her own body weight and bouncing on her back a few times for good measure.

Taking advantage of Sakura's actions, Naruto charged, digging a kunai from his pack with one hand while countering the expected Slicing Sound Waves with the other.

Most of Zaku's wind blades were scattered by the clashing attacks, but enough fell in Naruto's direction to reveal himself for himself.

Dosu grabbed Zaku's extended arm and yanked him away, placing himself and his Melody Arm between the stabbing kunai and Naruto's target, and the nearly hollow limb rang a clear note at the impact.

Before Dosu could twist the sound into an attack of his own, Naruto spun away, launching a kick at Dosu's gut and simultaneously firing the kunai at Kin.

Kin slapped the blade aside with her needle, and Dosu caught the kick with his biological hand, and would have ripped the boy's thigh open with his clawed one, if not for the sealless burst off wind that Naruto released with the attack, which shoved the mummy backward, though he kept his balance easily.

His path clear for a moment, Naruto rushed Kin, who stabbed her senbon at Sakura's forehead, intending for a quick kill, only to dispel the weak disguise left on the log she'd seallessly replaced herself with once Chingling was stunned enough for her to slip away with the jutsu.

Her surprise at the unexpected escape cost Kin, and Naruto planted his fist into the girl's gut, releasing a second blast of wind and launching her away, where she slammed into one of the surrounding trees.

Before he could press his advantage, Yanma zipped down from the treetops, where it had been keeping watch, but pulling up short and bringing it's glowing wings together with a cry of it's name.

A narrow crescent of displaced air careened towards Naruto, who countered in his usual fashion, only to yelp in surprise as the pokemon's denser attack ripped through his own with little resistance. _(Sonic Boom)_

The attack connected, and Naruto was blown backwards, though he rolled to his feet with little more than a funny shaped bruise to show for it, but as he stood a ripple of blue energy flew from the Chingling, which shimmered through his body, leaving an odd tingling in it's wake. _(Disable)_

Naruto grinned at the apparently weak attack, suspecting that his team's pokemon were much stronger than the Sound ninja's, and almost wishing he hadn't ordered Kirlia to hold back for a surprise attack.

And then Dosu was on him again.

Remembering the girl from Shoe's team during the first exam, and the strange music the arm had made when his clones attacked, Naruto dodged into the arc of Dosu's sweeping claw, holding the spike-like fingers at bay with one hand while he launched a wind enhanced jab at with the other.

Dosu grunted at the blow, but nothing else.

Naruto tried again, but his fist was caught, and still no wind was released, not even a little poof.

"Don't you just hate it when you lose something you really need?" Dosu asked rhetorically, sliding Naruto's attacking arm outward and reaching out to grab the boy's collar before he could try to escape.

"I don't need jutsu to kick your ass!" Naruto countered, hopping up in an attempt to plant both feet in Dosu's chest.

But the brains of the Sound team expected something that straight-forward, and shifted aside, releasing the pressure from his metal arm while shoving down with his real one.

Naruto slammed into the ground on his back, and Dosu's claw darted back in to surround his head in a cage of steel.

"Sing for me, my Banshee!" He called, an oddly fond note in his normally bland voice.

Tiny holes opened in the gauntlet's fingers, terminal points for the looping resonance tubes within the arm, erupted with a sound the likes of which Naruto had never heard before, and hoped to never hear again. _(Screech) _

While not the most rabid of Orochimaru's supporters, largely because of his pragmatic nature, Dosu was probably the member of his team who owed their leader the most.

A horrible accident involving shoddily made explosive tags destroyed Dosu's arm, and much of his body was scarred beyond belief from the incident.

Even the most generous of medics firmly believed that continuing his life as a ninja would be impossible.

Orochimaru disagreed.

Not out of sympathy, or pride for Dosu's determination, or anything silly like that.

Orochimaru was the genius of the Sannin. The man who would master every jutsu. The man who would achieve immortality and become greater than even the Sage of Six Paths. The man who would conquer the world, learn every secret there was to learn, and usher in a new age of technology and jutsu that would make even the ancient civilization of their ancestors pale in comparison.

Orochimaru simply would not let something like 'Impossible' go unchallenged.

It wasn't long before Dosu was outfitted with his new arm, or rather a very primitive incarnation of it, which he controlled with chakra conductive wires grafted directly into the scar-sealed pathways of his obliterated shoulder.

It seemed rather coincidental to the young Dosu, and one day in a pain induced stupor, he actually accused Orochimaru-sama of setting up the accident in the first place.

The Sannin laughed at him.

The leader of Sound thought it absurd that he might have any need for such crude trickery, especially with the number of people like Zaku who would happily cut their own arm off to be part of his glorious experiments.

If Orochimaru had been offended by the addled accusation, Dosu never learned of it, and as his skill with the arm grew, the village supplied improved variations, especially once he learned to forgo the wires in favor of chakra strings.

And now he had the Melody Arm, as perfect a prosthetic as anyone could hope for, along with it's various wind-instrument inspired note holes, and resonance chambers linked to the dome-like 'hump' on his shoulder where Banshee, his Whismur resided.

And where it could attack in insulated comfort and protection, through the tool that would propel it's partner to greatness.

Whismur's 'song' echoed down the pipes, grabbed by Dosu's versatile sound manipulation jutsu and funneled away so efficiently that the sensitive pokemon barely noticed it's own cries.

Naruto however, noticed immediately when his head was wrapped in an explosion of noise, instantly bursting his eardrums.

A few more seconds was all it would have taken to finish the boy, to burst every vessel in his brain and reduce it to a reddish-gray goop dribbling from his ears, but a bright flash and a sudden weight on his artificial shoulder heralded Kirlia's arrival.

And the flickering length of electricity the distraught pokemon whipped around his metal arm proved that she had come intent on playing for keeps.

The charge flowed through the arm and into both of it's occupant and possessor, jolting Banshee into paralyzed silence and causing an involuntary spasm in Dosu, releasing Naruto.

The jerking motion cost Kirlia her balance, and she tumbled onto her partner, falling onto him in another rude awakening, though it elicited barely more than a twitch and a moan.

More luckily, the fall put Kirlia out of line of the beam of multicolored light Yanma had launched at her when the teleport's light had caught it's attention. _(Signal Beam)_

Zaku darted in himself, shoving the unbalanced Dosu away and taking aim with his dark stained palm and roaring in victory, ignoring the log that Chingling had abandoned when she'd floated over to Kin worriedly.

A log which Sakura exchanged herself with once more, spinning into a sweep kick and taking out one of the reckless Sound-nin's legs, redirecting his shotgun-like blast into the nearby treetops, where it devastated a bunch of innocent leaves and branches.

As well as one large and cautiously observant ape, who had been attracted by the commotion.

"Vee, vee, vee, vee... Eevee!" Sakura's partner chanted, inspired by the pinkette's reemergence, each syllable sending sparks of blue across her fur and culminating with a burst of blue lightning similar to when her Helping Hand hit an ally. _(Work Up)_

The thin wire binding, and biting into, Eevee was no match for the new strength surging through her, and the instant Eevee broke it, she was on her feet.

Naruto's enhanced healing brought him around quickly, though he was dealing with the worst headache of his life and a bad case of 'can't hear shit' due to his shattered eardrums being lower on the healing priorities list than repairing the capillaries in his brain before he died of a brain hemorrhage.

As always, Kirlia protected him while he struggled to rise, catching and returning the veritable rain of senbon being launched by the rallied, and enraged, Kin.

But she couldn't be everywhere, and Dosu rushed from behind Naruto, clawed arm deflecting the needles Kirlia sent arcing his way, intending to execute Naruto, who had barely risen to his hands and knees.

Kirlia shouted a warning into his mind, and Naruto responded with the strongest mule kick he could muster.

Dosu hadn't expected the boy to notice him, not with bloody ears illustrating his deafness, and an obvious inability to focus his sight well.

He also didn't expect the boy to break the unwritten rule of combat between males, even unintentionally, and his eyes crossed as he fell to the ground, belatedly trying to protect his battered groin.

Naruto would probably feel bad for such an ignoble attack, but not until after his brain stopped trying to eat itself.

After Naruto finally regained his feet, things quickly degenerated into the kind of knock-down, drag-out brawling that advanced ninja pretended wasn't at the core of their profession, and that the recent graduates remembered well from their first year 'spars' in the academy.

Though with a lot less hair pulling than she and Ino had engaged in, Sakura noted thankfully.

The long moments Dosu spent recovering from the blow to his masculine pride, as well as the damage Zaku caused to his own arm with the ill advised second shot, particularly after losing a significant portion of lubricant while he held it at ready, evened the battle enough that the Konoha team were able to hold their own rather well, even gaining an advantage thanks to Kirlia's ability to return Kin's bell-tied senbon.

His wind attacks still sealed by Chingling, Naruto squared off against the lamed Zaku, trading fists and feet as the Sound ninja didn't want to expend more chakra, which he was using to reinforce the cracked bone in his arm, as well as restrict the blood that was already dripping more freely than the lubricant had.

Zaku's reluctance to use, or even move, his damaged arm was a disadvantage that Naruto was quick to capitalize on by popping up a number of clones and surrounding him.

Meanwhile, Kirlia and Eevee tried to keep the speedy Yanma from causing too much trouble, with the psychic type flicking senbon and orbs of explosive purple energy while the canine launched strange circles of compressed sound. _(Psyshock and Round)_

Telepathically requesting a rundown of Naruto's fight against the Sound kunoichi, Sakura rushed the girl, expecting her as the least injured to be the biggest wildcard at the moment.

As she ran, Sakura flipped through her seals and made a diving roll across the ground, sinking her arm into the earth and rising once more with a rough shield of unfired clay bound to her arm, with which she blocked what senbon she could.

With Kin focused on the rapidly approaching Sakura, Kirlia was able to focus more fully on offense, firing Psyshocks more frequently, though the bug avoided them almost universally, combining it's great speed with the predictive effects of Detect, periodically countering with more rainbow colored Signal Beams and rushing flyby attacks. _(Aerial Ace)_

With Kirlia and Yanma evenly matched, and much more suited to battle each other at range, Eevee peeled away with a few parting Round's and followed Sakura, staying in the girl's shadow, to benefit from the girl's shield.

Which didn't work out as well as the little pokemon had hoped, as Sakura was forced to suddenly dodge aside, in response to the revelation that Chingling too could use the explosive Psyshock attack.

If Eevee had been a foot taller, it would have exploded in her face, instead of on the ground behind her.

Not that Sakura bothered to check such minor details, and when she heard her pokemon exclaim in fright, the pinkette demonstrated a measure of the anger and strength hidden inside her as she rushed past Kin and attacked the floating pokemon.

The shield made a tolerably decent bludgeon, and though it did shatter on impact, it put Chingling out of the fight immediately.

"You bitch!" Kin shrieked, enraged by the sight of her own needles embedded in her pokemon's face, delivered courtesy of the shield that had caught them.

The Sound kunoichi grabbed Sakura by the shoulder and yanked her back.

Sakura spun with the motion, lifting the arm and using the momentum to break the hold and deliver an elbow to the girl's face in exchange for the fist Kin sunk into her own gut.

Kin staggered back, holding an eye that would soon blacken, and Sakura followed her, stumbling close and following the elbow with a solid punch to the same spot.

Pushing away the unexpectedly sharp and lingering pain with a savage growl, Sakura stepped in and hit Kin again, and again, pummeling the girl into the ground with blows to the torso and face, completely ignoring her attempts to protect herself or the weak counterattacks the disoriented Sound-nin sent back.

How dare this foreigner threaten her Sasuke-kun?

Well, she threatened Naruto and herself too, but Sasuke-kun was already hurt!

Sakura was pulled off the unconscious girl when Eevee grabbed her dress from behind and yanked, sending spikes of pain and nausea through her.

Sakura looked to the source of the pain to see three senbon, the ones Kin had been holding when she punched her, sticking out of her abdomen.

The pinkette swallowed thickly, and had to sublimate her urge to panic at the sight of them moving with the muscles, especially with the festive jingling the bell tied to one let out.

Believing that leaving the weapons in could only lead to worse things, Sakura gingerly removed them, hoping with all the hope in her that none of them had punctured her intestinal tract or anything else vitally important.

She took a minute to smack Kin in the forehead with the chakra sealing tag Naruto had surrendered to her during the Karin argument, and turned to rejoin Naruto.

Even if she was injured more severely than she could feel, two against two were better odds, and that jerk with the freaky arm tubes was injured way worse.

Sakura returned to the pit to find Naruto, Zaku, and the revitalized Dosu going at each other in a barely controlled beat down.

Despite being outnumbered, Naruto had no clones out, which puzzled her until she remembered that Naruto had been worried about some trick the mummified one had to break his clones in such a painful manner that it could interfere with the rest, as well as Naruto himself.

Not noticed by the embattled ninja, or at least not reacted to, Sakura ran through the signs for one of the few techniques she'd learned from Kurenai's scroll, while Eevee hunched down beside her, sparks paying over her fur again as she renewed the effects of her Work Up enhancement.

"_Demonic Illusion: Umbral Incarnation,"_ She thought, remembering the mummies' freaky hearing.

From the darkened recesses of the pit, a pitch black copy of the snake they'd fought the day before emerged, lunging out at the nearest Sound-nin with an angry hiss.

Dosu called to his recovered pokemon and launched a blast of sound at the fake beast, earning an instinctual protest from Zaku, who practically worshiped his leader's chosen animal.

The attack was more than sufficient to disrupt the genjutsu, but the distraction cost Zaku as well, and Naruto swung a two-handed chop at the back of his head.

Dosu was still staring at the pit with an odd expression, and Kirlia was mirroring him with a much more worried one.

A sudden explosion of chakra within the pit, and a blast of earth around a flash of red and beige, ended Naruto's attack prematurely, though Zaku was at least floored prior to the local Uzumaki rushing to catch his battered relative before she got hurt.

She plowed into Naruto hard, and they skidded across the turf for a fair distance, but the boy had endured worse, and his biggest worries were if his cousin was okay, and how he'd get his green backside back to a properly awesome orange... again.

"Naruto?" Karin asked looking around a bit in confusion, having lost her glasses in flight.

"Yeah... you okay? What happened?" Naruto asked quickly, thankful that his hearing had somehow returned a while back. "Did somethin' happen with Sasuke?"

"Oh, something happened alright... And she has three seconds to tell me what the hell it was before I tear her apart," Sasuke answered, stalking up out of the heavily damaged hideout looking more menacing than normal.

Yanma swept down, picking the Uchiha as his target, as his partner would wish, but Charmeleon made his presence, and anger at being doused with dirt, known with a roar of flame that sent the aerial bug fleeing in fear.

Audino fled towards her own partner, ignored by all present, even when it paused to pick up the girl's glasses and polish them on her fur.

Ignoring the useless attack Sasuke swept his ruby glare across the field, drinking in the events before him, before locking eyes with Karin once more. Flame-like marks swept across his skin, apparently originating from that strange mark on his neck, and blood dripped from his mouth.

"You bit me you jerk!" Karin shouted at him, while Naruto hurriedly wrapped the hideous wound on her arm. "Then you threw me through a wall! Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

"You shoved your arm in my mouth, and the way you looked..." An expression of disgust crossed Sasuke's face that had very little to do with the taste off blood. "I should kill you..."

"Oh, don't you worry, we'll do it for ya... right after we kill you, mister hotshot Uchiha," Zaku called, disdain clear in his voice, ignoring Dosu's muttered request for silence.

Sasuke sent a look at the squawking Sound-nin, who was still rising from the ground, then turned to sweep his eyes over the field again, this time looking slightly curious.

"Dobe, stop playing with... that girl... and tell me what happened to Sakura," he demanded.

Naruto stood and moved in front of the freaky girl, which seemed weird, but if they left her in there with him while he was unconscious, he must like her, or at least trust her...

Maybe he overdid it when he pushed her away... through a wall...

Though it was rather satisfying.

Seriously, what kind of screwy girl would make an unconscious guy bite her? That's like vacuum cleaner hickey level pathetic.

The Dobe himself looked a bit beat up, not that it was unusual, and he'd endured worse with a grin. In spars even.

Disregarding the dried blood on the sides of his head anyway, he faintly remembered that that was particularly bad...

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, coming over from where she'd been crouched for her illusion, Eevee at her heels.

She was overjoyed that he was awake now, enough so that she was almost able to ignore both his disconcerting appearance and Karin's apparent indiscretion.

She would deal with those later.

She'd been able to control herself, why couldn't that redheaded floozie?

...Okay, so she'd taken a peek under his shirt, but that was purely for medical treatment of his injuries...

Completely professional.

He looked at her, a spark of anger rising in him much more easily than he would have expected, and the black flames flared to red in response.

The girl was a mess, covered in dirt, blood and bruises, her hair a mess, and her clothes were dyed two shades of red... a state it didn't take the Uchiha long to understand.

"Sakura, who did this to you?" Sasuke asked, the marks throbbing in time to his heartbeat.

"We did it!" Zaku shouted angrily. "You wanna make somethin' of it?" Few things could rile the boy more than being ignored, and few could ignore as thoroughly as Sasuke Uchiha.

"Zaku, shut your mouth!" Dosu ordered sharply. "Something isn't right here..."

There was a sense to the Uchiha's chakra that hadn't been there during the written exam, and like the marks flowing across his pale skin, it was a little too familiar to Dosu's comfort.

"Is that true?" Sasuke asked dangerously, not looking away from his pink-haired teammate.

"Well... kinda?" Sakura replied, somewhat embarrassed. 'But most of it was from her," She said, gesturing back to the unconscious girl and her needled pokemon.

"You... won?" Sasuke asked, blinking in surprise, and causing the marks receding a bit as they were starved of their fueling anger.

"Well, I am a proud Konoha kunoichi," Sakura replied crossing her arms over her diminutive bust and giving a prim sniff... and then grimacing as the motion twitched one of the damaged muscles in her abdomen.

'Getting there at any rate," Sasuke agreed, proud of the girl's progress so far, though he'd never admit it. "What about the Dobe? I only see one beat, did he try talking them down again?"

"It's called diplomacy, jerk!" Naruto fired back, twice as loud as would be needed by the distance between them. "Jiji says a good Kage can save more lives by talking than fighting, Dattebayo!"

Of course, that conversation was followed by a warning not to rely on it too much, and that it helped most at diffusing the larger battles than small ones, since neither side usually wanted a full on war...

Naruto wasn't gonna tell that to Sasuke though, because it would ruin his point and might damage his own theory of : 'Talk nice, save lives, make new friend!'

Of course, that Kin girl gave that theory a good sized bruise anyway.

"Didn't work, did it?" Sasuke asked smugly.

"Not even a little," Sakura agreed. "But he did make a new friend anyway..."

"Yeah, and you better apologize to her too!" Naruto added.

"Hngh," Sasuke grunted dismissively, not wanting to even look at the girl until he got his anger back under control.

"Now, what are we going to do with you?" He asked rhetorically, turning to look at Zaku with a superior smirk.

If the Dobe and Sakura could fight them off, an Uchiha would crush them utterly.

"You're gonna bleed on us you vampire lookin' fucker!" Zaku retaliated, following that declaration as he did all others by bringing his uninjured arm to bear and launching yet another attack... all very much against Dosu's orders.

None of the genin even saw Sasuke move, though they did see Charmeleon blow out a fiery sigh before dropping back into the dirty pit to avoid the attack.

Of course, Zaku missed it due to his face being smashed into the dirt as Sasuke twisted his arms back painfully, while painting a sandal shaped bruise on his right kidney.

"Oh sure, Teme does it the easy way!" Naruto griped, trying to hide how impressed he was at his teammate's speed, even if it did start those creepy marks pulsing again.

"Now... let's try a more realistic answer, shall we?" Sasuke said, yanking roughly on Zaku's arms. "What are we going to do with you?"

Yanma darted at Sasuke with a roar, which was matched and exceeded by the scream of pain Zaku released as Sasuke turned a glare on the pokemon and twisted the already damaged arm far enough to crack the bone even more.

The bug backwinged immediately, torn between trying to rescue it's partner, and complying with the Uchiha's obvious demand.

"Char!" Sasuke called loudly. "If that pokemon moves again, kill it."

Charmeleon climbed back out of the pit, then plopped himself down on the ground, crossing his arms and spitting a line of flame onto the ground between them.

"Then just beat it until it wishes it's dead, and I'll kill this worthless ninja," Sasuke growled, irritated by the obvious act of defiance.

Charmeleon thought about it, more to bother Sasuke than because he cared about the human enemy's potential death, but moved towards the bug anyway.

"I would ask that you release him, then let me gather my team and leave. In exchange I will give you our Earth scroll," Dosu offered, holding the item out in his metal claw.

'And what's to keep me from ripping this fool's arms off and beating you with them until I can just take it from you?" Sasuke sneered, as far as he could tell, the Sound genin was just offering what was already theirs by right.

"If you can do all that faster than I can destroy it, feel free," Dosu conceded, flicking a glance at Sakura. "But if you can't, then you'll be stuck looking for a new one, while protecting a kunoichi with a gut wound... am I right?"

"Tch," Sasuke muttered, looking to Sakura himself, who fidgeted under his gaze.

"With the scroll, we can get out of the forest fast," Sakura agreed, "but I feel fine, and Karin's a medic in training, so..."

She wasn't sure what to suggest, since she suspected that if the team was allowed to leave, they would find some way to make it to the finals, even as injured as they were, where they would try to kill Sasuke again...

But she really didn't like how eager he seemed to be about killing them, and she was willing to bet it had something to do with those marks.

The foreign chakra flowing through Sasuke's coils was specifically keyed to push the boy towards emotional extremes, which given Sasuke's natural emotional instability made for a very volatile ninja.

And it was almost inevitable that he would eventually become frustrated enough to accept the offer of forbidden training, especially with how invincible he felt right now.

An endorphin high is a powerful thing.

"Medic in training, eh? I hope she's a good one, gut wounds can be... nasty," Dosu taunted, though to be fair, he was telling the truth.

"He's right," Karin said, quickly lowering her gaze in the face of the glare Sasuke sent her. "You should see a fully trained medic, if at all possible. The potential complications are... really unpleasant."

Karin had yet to see it in person, but Orochimaru-sama had lived through a war and was very good at creating illusory clones for demonstration purposes.

Sasuke cursed silently, he really wanted to hear the loud fool's arms snap... but a bit of instant gratification could cost him the more important prize of a promotion, which would be unacceptable.

With an angry sigh, he jerked limbs, throwing them to the ground where they fell limp, almost bloodless from the pressure Sasuke had kept them under, nearly enough to dislocate both shoulders completely.

Sasuke lifted his foot off the whimpering boy, almost in tears from the pins and needles filling his precious arms, but the Uchiha immediately slammed a kick into his side, sending the unlucky Zaku skidding over to the tree beside Kin, where Yanma immediately flew to check him.

Sasuke sent Charmeleon a questioning look, which the pokemon returned with a challenging one, and a puff of smoke.

Sasuke never gave the bug permission to move, but Charmeleon wasn't about to attack it for such a senseless reason, even if he didn't get to join in the fight this time.

Sasuke blew away his concern with a snort.

Dosu said not a word about the rough treatment, as the pulsing marks on the Uchiha's face said enough about the bloodlust he was fighting.

And the truth about his encounter with Orochimaru.

The mummy had every intention of ascending the ranks within Sound, confident that the effort Orochimaru put into his arm meant such an aspiration would be welcomed, and so he had learned all he could about the 'Enhancement seals'.

What little he was able to dig up in the base where he was trained suggested that the vast majority of recipients had died painfully, and still more had been driven insane, a fate which Dosu believed this Uchiha was fighting through sheer force of will.

"By your word, and on your ancestor's honor," Dosu said solemnly, watching Sasuke carefully.

"You may take your worthless teammates and go free," Sasuke promised, after a momentary scowl. "Unless we meet in the next phase, or you attack us again."

The Uchiha hated having to make such a vow, but he wouldn't dishonor his dead relatives by breaking his word, a fact Dosu counted on.

Dosu nodded his acceptance of the terms and tossed the scroll to Sasuke, before stalking over to his fallen team.

"Thank you for your generosity," Dosu said, noting that despite the harsh delivery, Zaku was still largely intact and well on his way to regaining his senses, or what little he had possessed of them an hour before.

Kin, on the other hand, could use some medical attention... not that any of the Sound trio had any talent, beyond the basics, and it wouldn't be wise to ask for help, at least from these three.

Using his melody arm, Dosu blew a coded burst of whistles to Yanma, who chirped agreement and zipped off at top speed and accelerating.

They would need a place to recover, and it would be the pinnacle of foolishness to do so anywhere nearby.

He peeled the seal off Kin and slung her over his metal shoulder, palmed Chingling with that same hand, and dragged the groggy Zaku to his feet and shoved him forward with his free one, and then shambled into the underbrush, his mind moving a mile a minute.

Why would Orochimaru-sama have sent them on this mission if he'd already sought out the Uchiha himself?

Why would he bestow one of the coveted seals upon a boy he claimed to want dead?

And most distressingly: Had they been sent as little more than sacrificial lambs? Willing targets for the Uchiha to test his new limits upon?

Unlike Kin and Zaku, Dosu knew that their leader, like all legendary ninja, had the capacity for truly startling levels of ruthlessness.

But would he so callously send his own ninja to die facing a monster of his own creation?

The mummified ninja had a sinking feeling that he'd just been handed the answer to that particular question.

* * *

Sasuke had ordered Sakura and Karin back into the shelter, where the medic and her pokemon would do what they could to treat Sakura's injuries, confident that they could at least minimize any potential complications long enough to allow Sasuke the time he needed.

He, Naruto, Charmeleon, and Kirlia remained at the entrance, catching up on the events since his 'nap' began, while the psychic type monitored the fleeing Sound squad, though she also kept a subtle watch on Sasuke himself.

All of Team Seven knew they could reach the tower in seconds, but Sasuke needed time to collect himself before facing whatever, and whoever, might be waiting there.

The marks pulsed and retracted periodically as the Dobe talked, and Sasuke listened with half an ear, perusing the boy's rambling for the important details while he focused the majority of his efforts on pushing down the almost alien impulses within him.

The girls, even Sakura, seemed to spike the anger with disturbing ease.

Karin he could understand, they certainly hadn't gotten off on the right foot afterall, and she technically was an enemy...

He did regret biting the arm she had stuck in his mouth though, if only for the disturbing images it inspired with the damn seal's influence.

He may be many things, but savage enough to rip someone's throat out with his teeth? Not a chance.

He'd use a kunai.

But why did Sakura make him mad?

He couldn't figure out why his messed up perceptions were telling him that she was an enemy, especially since she'd been improving in leaps and bounds away from the annoyingly loud and inept stalker she'd been in the academy.

Sure there had been a few relapses here and there, but even those were mostly training related...

Damn Kakashi.

No, the only safe human to be around right now was the Dobe.

Sure, the dead last loser was improving as well, maybe even faster than Sakura, but he could still be relied on to be himself all the time, to ramble on incessantly without asking if he was really okay every couple sentences.

And if Sasuke lost control and lashed out, Naruto would be best able to take it, get back up and return the favor right back, probably without much hesitation.

The two boys had a fairly unique definition of what a spar actually entailed.

Sasuke knew that the seal was messing with his head somehow, just like whatever poison had been on those kunai had messed with Naruto's, so he wanted to be well aware of his limits before coming into contact with people he might not be able to control himself around, like Ino or that Hyuuga bastard.

Thank Arceus that his father had insisted he learn to control his emotions, even if he'd never really been as good at it as...

Sasuke forced that thought away from him quickly, but not before the simple sentience within the curse mark latched onto the nearly bottomless depths of his hatred for Itachi.

The infinitesimally small portion of Orochimaru's own soul that made the core of the seal was pleased to see how thoroughly this hatred had permeated the boy's life, and how perfectly such a thing would suit it's purposes.

Paradoxically, the seal became easier to push back after that, as the mark ended it's resistance with confidence that the young Uchiha would inevitably accept the power it offered, and knowing how to provoke the boy into doing so if needed.

Sasuke sighed in relief as the seal's evidence faded away, crawling across his skin and back into the strangely appropriate tomoe tattoo on his neck.

He returned his attention fully to the outer world, becoming more aware of Naruto's monologue about a number of different things he'd learned in the past month from Iruka, as well as his excitement about the new letter he'd received from Haku the week before.

The one sided conversation was soothing in a way, comfortable and familiar, a reminder of the many mornings Team Seven had spent in that training field each doing their own thing, with Naruto's voice a constant backdrop as he discussed his lessons with his pokemon in an effort to make certain the knowledge was firmly rooted.

Of course, Sasuke would never admit to listening in, but he did, and even the Uchiha genius learned a fair amount, given Iruka's more relaxed approach to the tutoring and the interesting examples the teacher had from his own experiences or secondhand from the more active ninja he'd befriended over the years.

He had a lot of those, but then Iruka was one of those few ninja whom it was almost impossible to dislike.

"Feelin' better?" Naruto asked, only the second question he'd asked since the Sound team and the girls had been sent away.

Sasuke had ignored the first, a simple 'Huh?" when he'd ordered Naruto to remain with him on lookout.

"Hn... yes," Sasuke answered reluctantly, deciding that his teammate deserved at least a modicum of respect, if only because it was obvious that he'd been worried.

"_We'll all be better still when we're out of this place, yes?"_ Kirlia prompted, patting specks of dirt off her almost pristine white dress pointedly.

"True enough," Sasuke agreed, smirking at the feminine display, particularly from a pokemon of all things.

It was hard to believe that his team had come together so well to protect him in his vulnerable state, and that somehow he probably owed his life to that Karin girl too...

And that too was an idea almost too impossible for truth, that somehow the Dobe had found a relative at the first significant gathering of ninja he attended.

It was almost too much of a coincidence to accept, but there were plenty of small clues in the way she acted around Naruto to support Kirlia's assertion that she at least believed it to be true.

It was enough to make him wonder if...

But that was unlikely.

Though he wasn't the first Uchiha to have girls flocking to him, and there had been no shortage of opportunistic womanizers in the clan though the years...

Sasuke dismissed the possibility as irrelevant.

Even if there were other people with Uchiha blood somewhere in the wide world, they weren't really 'Uchiha'.

They hadn't been raised with the clan values of strength and justice.

They couldn't know the clan taijutsu, or the pride of their first Grand Fireball.

They couldn't be true Uchiha, not the way he and the traitor were.

There were only two Uchiha left in the world, and when they met again, one would die, and the other...

Did Itachi have plans to recreate the clan if Sasuke died? Had the confident former Anbu already started?

Now there was a scary thought...

"_Foolish little brother, you forgot to bring a present for your niece..." Itachi would say in that empty tone, gesturing to a child barely out of diapers._

"_W-what? Nevermind that, I'm here to kill you!" Sasuke would roar back, trying to maintain his anger in the face of utter surprise... and to ignore the kid, innocently sucking her thumb while holding onto Itachi's pant leg and peeking out from behind him._

"_That's a horrible thing to say to a girl's father on her birthday, I'm sure our mother raised you better," Itachi would say, mild disapproval in his voice._

_And then Sasuke would get poked in the head... again..._

Seriously, all that forehead poking had to do something bad, if the urge he had every so often to poke Sakura in her huge one was any indication.

And Naruto wanted to kiss it, according to some of his louder proclamations... how weird could a guy get?

But more disturbing than the forehead thing was the idea of Itachi with kids.

What the heck would he do if such a scenario were to occur?

Sasuke did find it reassuring that 'Kill it with fire' wasn't a real option in his mind, murdering a child for it's father's sins wasn't justice, not by a long shot.

And despite his desire for revenge, he wouldn't kill an innocent child to get it.

The curse mark seemed to disagree with his decision, but Sasuke just considered that a confirmation that he made the right choice.

The mark pulsed angrily at this dismissal, and Sasuke hastily pulled his thoughts away from the hopefully unnecessary contemplation to find Naruto staring at him expectantly.

"What?" Sasuke asked crisply, ignoring the feeling that he'd somehow missed something in his distracted mental meandering.

"I said we should get the girls and get outta here," Naruto repeated. "Karin says she's done what she can, but she'll feel better if Sakura-chan can get checked out by a real medic soon, an' I gotta say, you look like you could use a once over yourself."

Sasuke put his hand over the mark, privately agreeing with the Dobe that someone should check it out, but...

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to show this around..." he said instead. "It might cause a panic if people start talking about Orochimaru being around, especially with the exams going on."

"Implied hole in security," Naruto mused, remembering what Iruka had said when he'd asked why Mizuki's punishment had been kept private. "I can see what you mean, but what should we do then?"

"There's bound to be proctors and security at the tower, to keep contestants from just assassinating the other genin," Sasuke reasoned. "We should be able to get one of them to help out and get a message to either Kakashi or the Hokage. They'll definitely know what to do."

"_And if nothing else, we do have other ways to visit the Hokage..." _Kirlia added wryly.

"I say we take the pretty way, if we can't get them to come to us," Naruto agreed, smiling fondly at his partner and mussing the hair between her bow-like horns, eliciting one of her few verbal responses.

"Liaaaaaa," she cooed, eyes drifting closed as she reveled in the contact.

She missed the constant closeness the carrier had allowed her smaller form.

Sasuke felt his lips twitch towards a small smile, though he erased it with a more natural scowl.

His frayed emotions must be much more off balance than he thought, if something that cheesy could get to him.

"Let's just get to the tower," he declared. "If we keep standing here like training dummies, someone's going to eventually take another swing at us."

He stalked into the cavern and the three watched him go with some concern.

"He'll be alright... Jiji will definitely know what to do," Naruto said hopefully, not as blind to his friend's inner turmoil as he'd let Sasuke believe.

"_We'll make sure he is, it's what teammates do, right?"_ Kirlia agreed, though she was a bit worried about the weak second presence she'd felt at times, not dissimilar to how she could sense Kyuubi within Naruto.

"Chaa," the fire type hissed... _"He strong, he fight, we fight. Legged snake die next time... Will be great battle... Worthy prey."_

Naruto sent a wary look at the dangerous Charmeleon, who even knowing how strong Orochimaru was, still seemed eager for a rematch.

Then the pokemon turned on him, eyes snapping and tail-flame leaping.

"_I not miss next battle protecting pack from friendly healer!"_ Charmeleon declared forcefully.

"Okay, Okay, I get it!" Naruto said, stepping back and waving his hands defensively.

His desires made clear, Charmeleon loped after his partner, trailed by the sheepish looking Naruto and his amused Kirlia.

"Wasn't even my idea..." the boy muttered.

Kirlia patted him comfortingly, and Char just smirked.

It had been Pink-hair's idea, but Fox-boy was easier to talk to, and more likely to convince Kirlia into accepting a battle to make up for leaving him out of the fight until it was all but over.

And Charmeleon certainly wouldn't mind pitting himself against Kirlia's new strength, if only to learn what she could really do.

Charmeleon's tail lashed in anticipatory excitement as the team and guests teleported to the distant tower rooftop.

* * *

They arrived to a panoramic view of a swaying ocean of green as they looked out across the canopy of the forest of giant trees.

The group hopped down the conveniently tapered tower with ease, even the pokemon managing on their own, despite the panic they caused Naruto and Sakura when Kirlia and Eevee leapt off unassisted.

At the bottom, Kirlia strengthened the blue coat of Confusion she used to soften her falls just long enough to let Naruto fall past, before dropping into his arms playfully.

It took a minute or two to refocus the two, and for Naruto to put his foot down firmly enough to drag Karin with them, but they entered the tower without incident, finding themselves in one of several large entry halls.

They found themselves in a sparsely furnished foyer, the only true decoration within being a large and time-worn tapestry hung over the padlocked exit door.

"What do you think that's all about?" Naruto asked after Sakura read through the odd poem aloud, incomplete though it was.

"It sounds like a riddle..." Karin mused hesitantly, not really feeling like she should be there.

"That's probably right," Sakura agreed, feeling a bit more accepting towards Karin after the two girls had talked about what Karin had done, and just as importantly not done, to bring Sasuke around.

The girl was practically a born medic with that strange bloodline sharing ability, and it explained a lot about how quick Naruto was to recover from even major injuries, assuming they shared the bloodline effect.

"If we put 'Heaven' in that blank, and 'Earth' in the next one, the poem makes a bit more sense," Sakura reasoned, "but that still leaves the last blank empty..."

Sasuke nodded his agreement with the theory. "Then the last word is probably inside the scrolls, the proctor told us to not open them until we reached the tower, and we're here now, right?"

Naruto retrieved the scrolls from his almost depressingly light pack, having had gotten used to having Ralts in it after five surprisingly swift flowing months.

Kirlia patted him on the leg and gazed up at her partner comfortingly, dispelling the minor mood with ease.

"Okay, one Heaven scroll for the angel," Naruto said, offering the item and a cheesy grin to Sakura, who took the scroll and bopped the blond on the head with it, mild punishment for the useless flirt.

Naruto didn't mind, the mere tap was just further evidence of the progress he was making towards his bubblegum beauty.

A year ago she'd have pounded him into the dirt for the same comment.

"Be serious you knucklehead," Sakura replied "We'll open them together... on three, okay?"

"You got it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto agreed happily.

"One... Two... Three!" the pair counted together, ripping their scrolls open and revealing identical fuinjutsu seals on each.

The ring of flowing script bulged, forcing the central kanji for 'Person' into greater prominence as the scrolls began belching smoke at an astonishing rate.

"It's a summoning technique!" Karin realized. "Drop the scrolls!"

The two complied instantly, tossing the items away and darting back to fall into a defensive formation in reaction to Karin's own actions.

She'd met a few of Orochimaru-sama's summons... they weren't very nice.

Sasuke brought one hand up to his mouth, flashing through the seals for his Phoenix Fire jutsu at half speed, carefully regulating the surge of chakra within him to keep the curse mark dormant.

Meanwhile, Sakura drew a trio of shuriken in each hand and Naruto took the point position.

Karin just held a kunai tight enough to strangle and wished for the hundredth rims since entering this forest that she had more offensive techniques at her disposal.

The seals exploded into a column of smoke, and Team Seven let loose as soon as they saw the silhouette of their final trial.

Sakura led the way with her shuriken, enhancing the weapons with a simple illusion of duplication, as Sasuke followed her with a number of fist-sized fireballs.

Charmeleon joined in with a ball of blue flames as large as himself, enhanced by Eevee's Helping Hand and his own desire to make up for lost opportunities.

Naruto tried to charge after the attacks, but Kirlia caught his jacket, pointedly looking back over her shoulder.

The summoned... whatever it was... had little enough time to react, and the only attacks which missed were those aimed to catch it mid-dodge.

As a result, a number of shuriken slapped into the humanoid, though only two were actual steel, quickly followed by four of the slightly guided fireballs.

All of which was quickly rendered a moot point when the sticky blue flames of Charmeleon's Dragon Rage wrapped the figure in a web of angry fire.

"R-remind me not to sneak up on you guys..." Karin said, shocked at the almost instantaneous devastation the team had doled out.

"...Same here," a mildly disturbed voice added from behind her.

Karin yelped an spun, stabbing out with the kunai blindly, though her target foiled the attack easily.

"Don't forget the rules now," Iruka advised warmly. "Fighting is prohibited within the tower, unless the proctor orders otherwise."

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "What're you doing here?"

"Trying not to get turned into charcoal by my last batch of graduates I think," the teacher scolded, though not very harshly, he was too glad to see them to be mad. "But I guess you do deserve credit for your quick reaction times..."

"Sorry about that," Naruto chuckled, scratching his head in embarrassment.

Sakura stammered an apology herself, blushing brightly, though it wasn't very visible due to her deep bow, and even Sasuke leaned forward in a nod that was more than he'd have done for most people.

Kirlia bowed as well, giving a telepathic greeting, while Eevee tucked her tail between her legs and whined piteously.

Charmeleon tapped his foot and glared at nothing with an expression that clearly showed his displeasure at losing out on yet another fight.

"Don't worry about it," Iruka replied, not really enjoying the supplications, he'd never really enjoyed all that stuff, preferring lessons learned to an excess of 'sorry's.

"It's actually kind of expected, from the real contenders anyway. It's why we don't just walk through the door: We want to see how you react to a sudden possible threat," He explained.

"Well, we did pretty awesome there," Naruto remarked, hoping for praise from the teacher.

"Yes you did, right up until you roasted one of your allies," Iruka replied sternly.

Team Seven, even Charmeleon flinched at the serious tone.

"It's always good to beat your enemies quickly, but you should always be certain that your opponent actually is who you think it is first," Iruka lectured. "That means that as unofficial sensor for the team, you should have identified me as a friendly to the whole team, not just Naruto," he said to Kirlia, who he easily determined to be Ralts' new form.

"_Yes, Iruka-sensei,"_ she replied, bowing more deeply in apology.

"Just keep the lesson in mind, the last thing anyone wants is to accidentally kill a comrade," Iruka allowed. "But, you're not the first group to make that mistake... not even this exam, and we're trained to expect violent responses after candidates leave a place like the Forest of Death."

The other assistant proctor had actually been dismissed after his encounter with one of the Suna teams, having been captured and almost killed by a genin who didn't seem to care that he wasn't an enemy.

Thankfully, the genin's teammates managed to calm the situation, but they got the world's shortest welcome speech before the chunin opened the door and fled.

"You mean we're not the first to arrive?" Sakura asked, a day and a half seemed like really good time for a test like this.

"I'm afraid not, but third place isn't bad, since all that matters in this round is actually finishing," Iruka answered. "The only real advantages you have for arriving early is time to rest in safety and quick medical treatment if needed."

"Which is a pretty big advantage is there's a preliminary round this time," Karin pointed out helpfully.

"Preliminary round?" Sasuke repeated suspiciously. Kakashi hadn't said anything about a preliminary anything...

"Yeah, the finals are a really big deal, so the host villages try to keep things pretty streamlined for the visiting dignitaries," Karin explained. "My teammates... before they died mean, told me that there might be an early elimination round this time, since teams are required to pass or fail as a whole."

"Is that true Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked, squeezing his cousin's shoulder reassuringly.

It was apparent that her teammates' deaths bothered her.

"Unfortunately, yes," Iruka confirmed. "Anko didn't think it was likely, and she's the expert on this training ground, but with nine genin already confirmed as passing, we'll most likely require a set of preliminary eliminations if more than one or two more teams come in as well."

"And just what would this preliminary elimination entail?" Sasuke asked.

"Standard one-on-one combat between ninja, pokemon allies included of course. Beyond that, generally no rules are observed aside from the obvious: If the proctor says a match is over, it's over."

The team nodded their understanding, satisfied that even if they had to take part in such a thing that they would be arguably better off than anyone who arrived after them, while Iruka just hoped he hadn't broken a rule he didn't know about...

Not that the Grass girl couldn't tell them as much herself more likely than not...

Speaking of which...

"Now that I've answered your questions, I have one for you: Why exactly do you have this kunoichi with you? Taking prisoners isn't permitted during the exams you know." Iruka inquired.

"Oh yeah, lemme introduce ya," Naruto said, suddenly remembering the manners he'd had hammered into his head.

However, he looked between the two a bit trying to remember whether rank or gender got priority in this situation, before he just dismissed the overly complicated rules of etiquette entirely.

"Iruka-sensei, this is Karin, she's my cousin! Karin, this is Iruka-sensei, he's like, the best teacher ever!" He made the declarations happily and hurriedly, hoping his excitement would forestall a reminder lesson on proper introductions.

"A pleasure to meet you," Karin said politely, bowing to the man whom Naruto obviously respected a great deal.

"Likewise, Karin... Uzumaki?" He replied, bowing in kind, though his voice held more than a little suspicion.

"Fuuma-Uzumaki," Karin corrected. "I grew up in the Land of Rice Paddies, among the Fuuma clan, which my mother is part of. My father was a member of the Uzumaki clan."

"This is the coolest thing ever, right Iruka-sensei? Well, coolest since I met Ralts-chan, I mean..." Naruto remarked, correcting himself quickly when Kirlia poked him pointedly.

"I'm very happy for you Naruto," Iruka said, sounding almost the exact opposite. "But I must admit that I feel a bit skeptical about this whole situation."

"I understand completely," Karin replied, interrupting Naruto's predictable protest. "It is a bit of an odd coincidence, especially once this is our first exams."

"My own teacher would beat me purple in a spar if I fell for an obvious trick like 'long lost family'... so I expect you to be suspicious," Karin explained.

"Well, I'm not going to beat anyone who doesn't deserve it," claimed Iruka, "but I'm glad you understand my reluctance."

Left unspoken was the fact that he might think she did deserve a dose of pain if he found she lied to Naruto about something so important.

"_She believes her claim," _a familiar voice said directly into Iruka's mind.

"_Ralts-chan?"_ Iruka thought in surprise. _"Is she really telling the truth?"_

"_Kirlia now, and she is telling the truth as she sees it. I'm not sure if she really is blood kin, but does it matter? Naruto and I aren't even the same species and we are as close as kin,"_ She replied, ending the private message with a mental shrug.

Iruka crossed his arms thoughtfully, rather than simplify matters, Kirlia had made his task for difficult, because now he couldn't just toss her out of the tower and be done with it... Not without hurting both genin needlessly.

"You know, you're not even supposed to be allowed in here without your team, right?" He commented at last, more to end the uncomfortable silence than anything else.

"Blame the Dobe for that one," Sasuke replied.

Karin actually elbowed the Uchiha in the side, then glared into his surprised expression.

Iruka had to swallow a laugh.

Apparently they'd found another girl who wasn't immediately smitten with the last Uchiha, and just like Hinata, Naruto was the key.

"Ah, don't mind the Teme, he has to say that cause he'd swallow his tongue tryin' to admit that we're friends," Naruto remarked, waving the habitual insult aside.

"Oh yeah? And what's your excuse for calling Sasuke-kun something like 'Teme' then?" Sakura countered.

"Cause he's a teme?" Naruto replied simply. "He's never tried to deny it either. Bet the smug bastard's proud even!"

"He is not!" Sakura argued, completely missing the Uchiha's thoughtful shrug, and Char's hissing laughter at the gesture.

Why should he care if people thought he was a jerk? It certainly didn't seem to make him less popular with his unwanted admirers, or most other people.

Which was a shame really, he'd hoped it would discourage the stupid stalkers when he publicly roasted the "I will heal you with my love" letters he'd received in the academy.

Instead they started looking for writing materials that wouldn't burn.

Girls were just crazy.

Carved stone tablet crazy.

Points for determination though...

"Alright, enough!" Iruka shouted, gaining instant silence. "I've got more important things to do today than wonder how you three haven't killed each other yet."

"I'm going to let you all in now. Check in with the medics on the second floor, the dining hall is on the third, and team rooms are on the floors above, pick one for yourselves."

"As for you," he said, pointing at Karin. "You come with me and we'll figure out what to do. Anko's the head proctor for phase two, so it's up to her to decide whether you can stay in here or not."

"Why would she let me do that?" Karin asked.

"Well... how to put it nicely... Anko and rules mix like water and oil..." Iruka explained. "So in general, they each tend to try and forget that the other exists."

That certainly didn't match with the rumors she'd heard about Orochimaru-sama's 'Good little Leaf ninja' former apprentice.

She'd just figured that the display at the start of the round had been some sort of intimidation ploy, but if that was how the woman really is... Why was she not still siding with Orochimaru-sama?

Iruka unlocked the door, belatedly remembering his actual job of explaining the tapestry's riddle, admitting that the three shinobi were already working through it's advise on their own.

Sakura asked Iruka to deliver a message to Kakashi that they needed to talk to him about something 'the Hokage would want to hear', Iruka really hoped it didn't have anything to do with Anko's earlier and enraged arrival.

Once inside, they split up, with Team Seven making their way to the medical ward, while Iruka escorted Karin and her Audino directly to the top floor.

Sakura got a quick checkup, with thankfully little longterm worry.

There had been a few internal punctures from the senbon, but between their small size and Karin's early treatment, the professionals had little to do but reinforce the healing and apply a few precautionary measures for safety's sake.

They also tried to pull Sasuke and Naruto aside for analysis, despite the boy's claims of good health.

Naruto eventually managed to chase them off with the claim that he'd wiped with a bad leaf and it was embarrassing and painful to sit.

Nevermind that everyone present heard his loud whisper quite clearly, and that he thought Sasuke seemed to have made the same mistake, but the medics did give the two boys a cream to apply and let them leave without further protest.

They also invited the team to come back if they needed, but warned them that they would have to do so before the end of the fourth day.

The last day of the test, contestants would only be permitted treatment in exchange for their forfeiture, at least until after the probable preliminaries.

Anko called it 'incentive to hurry the hell up', while the medics called it unnecessarily cruel, especially since the contestants weren't warned ahead of time.

Anko won that argument by virtue of temper, snakes and a plethora of sharp objects.

Or just the fact that she was the proctor and so set the rules herself, a fact which one of her 'minions' had to remind her of.

She then gave the medics a list of tedious and unnecessary tasks with which to occupy their downtime.

The medics were a bit desperate for patients as a result, but not enough to willingly stare at the blond prankster's ass.

Or the Uchiha's for that matter.

Their medical ordeal ended, the three grabbed some quick snacks from the empty dining hall and retired to claim their room.

* * *

When Karin, Audino, and Iruka reached the large, circular room that took up the tower's top floor, they were greeted by angry cursing and the obvious sounds of someone attacking a wooden target.

Inside, Anko was systematically demolishing a training dummy in the exact image of her formerly adored sensei.

Sensing her company, Anko flashed through a quick chain of attacks that left both arms and one leg broken clean off the wooden construct, and the rest of it crumpled at the base of the wall where it lay leering at her with it's painted face.

Any ninja could do similar damage to what he saw with enough chakra reinforcing their body, but seeing the sheen of sweat, and the blood seeping from her abused knuckles, Iruka decided it was simple strength and rage that fueled the Tokubetsu.

Anko turned toward the interlopers, her kicking leg meeting the ground with a sharp click as she drew a kunai.

"This better be good, maggot," she said threateningly, "or I just found myself a new sparring partner."

"It's confirmed then?" Iruka asked rhetorically.

Only one thing could drive Anko Mitarashi into a destructive rampage, and it always boded ill for Konoha when her mercurial moods shifted from playful to angry.

"Yes it's confirmed!" Anko shouted in frustration, spinning to hurl the knife into the staring skull of her former target, where it exploded in a thankfully restrained blast.

'He's here..." she said softly. "He's here and he's already marked his next victim..."

She reached for the mark on her own neck, painful evidence of the first, last, and only kiss her childhood crush had ever given her.

How she hated the idiotic little girl she had been.

"Have you told the Hokage yet?" Iruka asked, drawing her back from the downward spiral her thoughts had begun.

"Yeah, he told me to get some of the anger out before it made me do something stupid..." she replied with a self depreciating chuckle. "As if attacking one of the Sannin wasn't stupid enough for one day..."

"Well, at least he didn't hurt you badly..." Iruka replied optimistically.

"He didn't need to..." Anko muttered more to herself. He'd barely even bothered fighting her at all in fact, probably didn't think she was worth the effort.

"Well then, you'll just have to make sure he lives to regret it, right?" Iruka suggested, scooping up the trench coat Anko had removed prior to her extreme training session and holding it out for her to shrug into.

"Might as well contact the Hokage now, and you don't want to give the old man a heart attack or anything," he said sheepishly when she just stared at him.

Anko sighed in exasperation and took the coat away from him roughly, spinning it around and on in a smooth motion.

"You're such a damn... gentleman," she said, making the comment sound less than flattering. "It's no surprise you're still single, hell sometimes I wonder how a guy like you ever made it as a ninja."

'What's that supposed to mean?" Iruka shot back, indignant and a bit flustered.

"It means that the ladies like bad boys, except for the ones that like bad girls instead," Anko replied with a saucy wink. "You're practically a kitten compared to guys like Kakashi."

"Bad example, since I've never seen him with a woman outside of missions, and he's obsessed with those books of his," Iruka remarked.

He didn't know, or want to know, about Kakashi's dating life, but it was telling that he seemed as disinterested in his plethora of admirers as Sasuke was.

And only one of them had the excuse of being a prepubescent boy.

"Besides, at least my niceness is all real, unlike some people's personalities, little miss leotard," Iruka pointed out, eying the sweat-stained garment Anko wore beneath her mysterious mesh armor.

He referred of course to the skintone cloth covering the ostentatious kunoichi from groin to breasts, a secret that he only knew about because of comments Kurenai had made.

Apparently Anko liked being able to manipulate men with her over-the-top attitude and appearance, rarely offering anything but the tease of forbidden fruit.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Anko argued, yanking the trenchcoat closed as she crossed her arms and glared at the man.

Seeing Iruka's tolerant smirk, she turned away with a dismissive wave. "I still say nice guy's finish last," she taunted.

"Indeed we do," Iruka admitted with a nod. "But a true gentleman always ensures that a lady's needs are met before his own... All her needs..."

Anko almost gaped at the unexpected innuendo, but when she looked back, the teacher had an innocent smile plastered on his face.

Nice guys could play word games too.

Anko smirked and strolled up to him, putting one hand on his chest and lifting herself up to his face, hoping for the expected glance down towards her prominently displayed body, or for him to look away nervously.

"Looks like Sensei still has a bit of fire in him, hmm?" Anko purred seductively from mere inches away.

Iruka looked her in the eyes unwaveringly, a considerable display of discipline for any male.

"If you two are going to make out... or _stuff_... I'll just wait outside..." Karin commented, backing towards the door cautiously, though she froze when Anko's cold look landed on her.

"And who the hell is this?" Anko asked, pushing off Iruka, and strutting around him to look at the girl.

"Karin Fuuma-Uzumaki," Iruka answered still calm and collected. "Apparently she'd a relative of Naruto's from outside the Land of Fire."

"The blond brat? Well if that ain't somethin'..." Anko mused. "You think she's on the up and up?"

"I believe that she believes it, as does Naruto," Iruka explained. "Beyond that, I figured I'd let you and the Hokage make the call on what to do about it."

"Why us? I'd figure the brat was your problem," Anko asked, idly adjusting a dimmed light fixture on the wall, and signaling the Hokage though the pulse communication seal hidden behind it.

A few seconds later, a section of wall ignited in a fuinjutsu display that would have taken a sharingan to memorize in the time it was visible before being replaced with Sarutobi's face, distorted a bit by the curve of the wall and the crystal ball he was using as a focus for the communication jutsu.

"I trust you feel a bit better after your exercise?" Sarutobi asked genially.

"Indeed, Hokage-sama," Anko replied formally. "I apologize for making you wait."

As much as she messed around in public, she respected the Sandaime more than anyone alive, for without his support and tolerance, she would likely still be in prison for her blind support of her sensei... if she was still alive at all.

"Not to worry, the time was well spent," the old man replied, having used the interruption to issue lockdown orders on training ground forty-four, as well as alert and increase active Anbu patrols in the area.

"Before we move onto the thorough debriefing, Iruka-san has a matter that he believes deserving of your attention..." Anko said, gesturing for the teacher to approach.

"Ah, has another Konoha team made it to the finals then?" Sarutobi asked, always glad to have good news to counter the all too frequent bad.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Team Seven arrived just a short time ago, they seemed well enough, though they did plan to visit the medical wing, and have asked me to forward a request to speak to Kakashi soon, about a matter of interest to yourself."

"Think it could be about you-know-who?" Anko asked sharply.

"Possible. Sasuke and Naruto would both be valuable targets," Iruka agreed.

"I see," Sarutobi sighed. "I will contact Kakashi immediately. Anko, with Jiraiya-kun not yet arrived, you are the expert if they bear the curse mark, I expect you to supply whatever assistance they or Kakashi need to deal with the repercussions."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Anko replied, saluting proudly.

"Thank you," Sarutobi said with a sad smile. "We shall have to do what we can until Jiraiya-kun arrives, perhaps he will be able to find clues in this seal that will help him to decipher and remove your own... But let us leave that hope for a future time, was there another matter?"

"Yes," Iruka replied, gesturing Karin forward. "Naruto and his team came across this girl during the exam. She claims to be a relative from the Land of Rice paddies, though she is registered as a Grass applicant."

Karin stepped forward and bowed deeply to the Hokage. "A pleasure to meet you, sir," she said softly.

The ninja assumed her obvious nervousness as intimidation due to being in the presence of one of the strongest ninja in the Elemental Countries.

Kirlia would have known better.

Karin had heard many times of the 'Old Fool's' disregard for Orochimaru's research, as well as the wasteful destruction he'd rained down upon the facilities within Konoha.

What she didn't know about was the fifty-nine tiny corpses that had inspired Sarutobi to such an act.

To her mind, Orochimaru was a visionary, and this man threw his progressive work back by more than a decade.

"From the Land of Rice Paddies... You wouldn't happen to be Karin Fuuma, would you?" The Hokage asked.

"Fuuma-Uzumaki, sir," she corrected politely, since she didn't want to antagonize a man that even her teacher was cautious about.

"Odd... Our information says that you had disregarded any claim to the Uzumaki name when your father died..." Sarutobi mused, retrieving a folder from his voluminous cabinets.

"Your information?" Karin yelped, forgetting her caution in a burst of indignation. "You were spying on me?"

Sarutobi paused in his perusal to look at her over the folder.

"Naruto-kun is like a grandson to me, and Jiraiya of the Sannin is his godfather, albeit more of an absentee one than I'd prefer," he explained, as if a Hokage informally adopting an orphan was the simplest matter in the world.

"Because it meshes so well with his work for the village, Jiraiya-kun has spent considerable effort over the years looking for any Uzumaki that had survived the fall of Whirlpool, as well as any of his father's surviving relatives, with very limited results I fear."

'When I learned of his search, I bid him to continue, in hopes that we might be able to give Naruto something resembling the family he had to do without, for reasons I cannot divulge at this time."

"Oh... Oh, my apologies, Hokage-sama," Karin murmured, bowing deeply. "I did not understand, and am sorry for any offense I may have caused."

"No offense taken. I understand the dangers assumed for kunoichi who've somehow attracted the attention of a larger village than their own," Sarutobi replied understandingly.

"According to the reports I have on record, Jiraiya learned of your existence a number of years ago when news of your father's death found him. He visited soon after and was informed that your paternal bloodline was never formally acknowledged, and that you had no interest in doing so, or in pursuing contact with relatives from that side."

"I would never say that!" Karin protested. "I loved my Papa and Gramma!"

"Be that as it may, those are the reports I have received, confirmed by repeated visits Jiraiya-kun made over the following years. The most recent of which was approximately seven months ago," Sarutobi explained.

"But... I've never even met Jiraiya..." Karin moaned. "Why would he think that if he's never even talked to me?"

Sarutobi didn't know what to say to that, and a tense silence lengthened until Anko broke it with an obvious answer.

"Hey brat... Would you say your mom is pretty?" She asked with a sly smile.

"He wouldn't!" Iruka blurted, though the teacher immediately realized that Yes, the perverted Sannin would.

"Who better to ask than the child's own mother, especially since it's such a sensitive subject..." the Hokage agreed sourly. "A young widow as well... That lecherous old fool never could tell when a pretty civilian was lying to him... Remind me to reprimand him severely when he returns for the finals."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Anko and Iruka replied simultaneously.

Anko's excited grin didn't bode well for the loyal Sannin's future, and Iruka's stern expression didn't improve matters.

"Now, while I appreciate your bringing this matter to my attention, was there something in particular you wanted me to do about it?" Sarutobi asked, turning his attention back to Iruka.

"Well, really I just wanted your opinion on her, sir. Naruto's well... you know, and I don't trust myself to be objective enough to make the right call here," Iruka replied, somewhat chagrined.

"You want to know if we can trust Karin around Naruto?" Sarutobi reasoned. "A fair concern, but misplaced in this instance I believe."

Karin's jaw dropped at the obvious vote of confidence.

"Her stated loyalty towards her family is honest, and I see within her a flame of passion that could one day become a blazing testament to the Will of Fire, regardless of which land or village she calls home."

"Of course... I have been wrong before, but I expect that it will be easy enough to keep anything unpleasant from happening in that tower, surrounded by Konoha's finest chunin and tokubetsu jounin," despite his continued pleasantness, Karin didn't miss the implied threat in his words, or the steel in his eyes.

It was almost disturbing, seeing both sides of the man so swiftly, but she understood a bit more about the power of a Kage now.

A Kage whom her cousin called 'Jiji'.

"I understand, Hokage-sama," Karin replied sincerely.

"So, you don't mind if she sticks around in the tower?" Iruka asked. "She doesn't actually have a team anymore, so... she's kinda flunked out already."

"If the proctor allows it, I have no objections," Sarutobi answered, looking to Anko with an amused smile.

"Like I'm gonna ruin the brat's good day," Anko scoffed. "You go tell Blondie that he owes me one, and no interfering with the contestants or preliminaries if we have 'em. You do anything I even think is you trying to give someone an advantage, and I'll toss you out so fast the Raikage will get jealous, and you better bet that'd be bad, since I'll be chucking you out through there, and with a running start."

Anko pointed to the rather tiny window set into the wall, and Karin remembered just how high up they were.

"Yes ma'am," Karin agreed quickly, not brave enough to ask if the woman would bother opening the thick-paned window first or not.

"Good, now get outta here, we have important business to discuss," Anko said, shooing the girl away with a number of high flying kunai.

"She's a good kid," Iruka said quietly, after the girl scurried away. "I'm happy for them..."

"Yeah yeah, now why are you still here? Get lost, Dolphin-boy!" She actually booted Iruka out physically, tossing him hard enough that he barely caught himself before taking the hard route down the spiraled stairwell.

"Was that really necessary?" Sarutobi asked drily.

"No, but there's just something about guys like him that pisses me off," Anko replied grumpily.

'And here I was under the impression that all the males in Konoha had that effect on you," Sarutobi replied.

"Only the weaklings and the perverts," Anko remarked cheerfully.

"And which do you think Iruka is?" Sarutobi asked curiously.

"Which do you think? He's too damn nice to be perverted, he's a wimp who couldn't cut it in the real world and decided that the academy was more his speed," Anko answered.

"An interesting opinion," Sarutobi chuckled. "And one that reveals your inexperience with children. Trust me when I say that the role of teacher is as important as any other within a village, and possibly more so."

Anko waved the comment away irritably, but her silence was telling to the experienced old shinobi.

"Orochimaru was many things, but a true teacher was not one of them," Sarutobi said seriously. "You were an assistant, an accomplice, possibly even a confidant, but can you honestly say there are any similarities between your relationship with him, and Iruka's with Naruto?"

"No... I guess not..." She muttered.

"That is because he empathizes with Naruto, and others, including yourself, though you're too stubborn to accept it," Sarutobi pointed out. "And that is something that Orochimaru was never able to do."

"Yes, Hokage-sama..." Anko replied dutifully, receiving a proud look from her leader, which fell at her next annoyed words. "But he still gets on my nerves with that Nice Guy act!"

"Well, let's just leave it at that then," the Hokage sighed again. "Shall we get back to the more important matter?"

"Of course Hokage-sama," Anko replied, launching into a thorough description of her encounter with Orochimaru.

* * *

AN:

As you can probably tell, Team Seven is done in the forest, however I intend the next chapter to visit the rest of the teams as they move through, albeit with a bit less intense a focus. (And for the love of all things fun to read, I hope it'll be a fast one, 17-19 scenes according to my revised chapter timeline... the first of which is written)

After that will be the Prelims, which as you may recall from way back in chapter 6, the matches have been randomized, and as a result none of the cannon battles will be taking place. So no rehashing of the Hinata vs. Neji battle in this one, or the Final round Naruto vs. Neji grudge match.

I do have plans on how to drag Neji out of his funk though, it'll just happen a bit later and in a much different manner.

Frankly, I think it'd be boring to redo those exact fights in yet another story.

I hope Karin was well depicted here, part of my writer's block was building a viable backstory for her and the Sound trio that I felt would put things where they needed to be. (And properly illustrate how much of a manipulative bastard Orochimaru can be.) The fear of spiders is just a bit of influence from my roommate who is deathly afraid of the things and would probably have a seizure just seeing the one that size, hehe.

Disable's effect has been decided on as blocking one element completely from the target, but can only effect one target at a time. In Naruto's case this is particularly bad, since he has no other elemental options, but that should change soon enough...

* * *

Review response to unsigned reviews:

Gui: I apologize, but Serperior had been decided for Orochimaru a fair while ago, largely because of how appropriate it seems. 'Serperior holds its head high pretentiously while fighting and tends to stay elegant at all times. It doesn't take most opponents seriously, unless said opponent is particularly powerful.' in it's behavior listing on Bulbapedia for one, and those eyes for another. (And after the anime, I find it hard to take Arbok or Ekans seriously)

To your other review: I'd need a bit more detail about the character to think of a place to use it, which may or may not be possible, but it sounds a lot like those Anubis things from the old Samurai Jack cartoon.

'unknown': Pokemon can and occasionally will act against their partner's wishes, and are able to cut the connection if they feel strongly enough against their partner's actions. Or if they feel their partner's actions are wrong but their reasons are sound, they can simply 'banish' themselves and refuse to return until said partner straightens out. (There is a degree of empathetic bond inherent in the rune of connection, primarily for strong emotions like terror and elation, neither of which are big Sasuke emotions.)

Terranorth: I considered Croagunk for just that reason, but dismissed it because I can't really see Jiraiya as much of a poison type. Then I found Seismitoad and figured it'd be perfect. Imagine if you will, Jiraiya doing his ridiculous intros while standing beside a living beatbox... I admit I find an entirely inappropriate amount of humor in that image. (Especially since a deep reverberating bass beat would totally give him away.)

'Guest': An interesting idea, but not possible since my outline actually has those two pokemon still alive, and they will pop up sooner or later. (one sooner, one later)

As always, if I missed a review response, I apologize, I do try to respond via PM whenever possible.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed,

-Mhyrloc


	13. A Gathering of Genin

Later than I could possibly justify, so I won't bother trying. I will however, offer my apologies yet again.

This is the last of the forest though, and next chapter will begin the Prelim battles.

* * *

Day 1: Forest of Death.

Gaara blinked. Twice.

Kankuro closed his eyes and said a silent prayer for the poor souls facing his psychotic brother's wrath, a sentiment his Golett partner shared, pulling in it's head and limbs until it seemed little more than a small, oddly colored boulder. _(Defense Curl)_

Albeit one that shook fearfully.

By contrast, Temari seemed like she was trying to strangle a laugh in her throat, and Vibrava's wings fluttered in a quiet hum of curiosity from it's perch on her back.

Kankuro wondered if the absurdity of their current situation had finally driven his poor sister off the deep end.

"Your... purposes... are weak," Gaara declared, his sincere confusion far from apparent in his growling voice, though the writing ring of sand surrounding the Leaf team he'd stumbled across made no move to punish them for that weakness... yet.

Two of his opponents flinched anyway, but Shikamaru just shrugged apathetically.

He was more worried with finding a way out of this predicament, since by his measure fighting wasn't much of an option.

Even if the redhead's own teammates hadn't illustrated quite well how dangerous this boy was even to them, it was pretty obvious that a fight would only end badly, given how wide a berth the normally inquisitive Aron was giving to the mobile sand.

Normally, Aron would try taking a nibble on anything, a fact which cost them a fair amount in repairs during their first D-ranks.

If that sand could probably hurt that walking wall of a pokemon, who knew what it might do to Beldum or Oddish?

To say nothing of the soft-skinned humans on Team Ten.

Which was why, when Gaara had demanded to know their reason for existing, he'd given his 'revised plan for leading a mediocre career', which he'd spent a fair amount of time overhauling recently.

An action made necessary thanks to Naruto's unexpected gift.

Though it did well in this case, since it was a really detailed plan with no less than three dozen 'in case of blond interference' protocols.

It was best to acknowledge both Naruto and Ino afterall.

He needed time to think, and neither Ino's predictably inane desire to 'be a world famous kunoichi and bag Sasuke-kun', nor Chouji's desire to protect his friends bought him much.

And the mad gleam in the Suna-nin's eye at Chouji's declaration worried the closet genius.

So, in a rare bout of motivation, Shikamaru shared the long version of his plan.

The entire eighteen minute and thirty-two second presentation.

He was actually surprised the Suna team let him finish.

Temari and Kankuro were surprised that Gaara let him finish.

Gaara was surprised that Mother stopped demanding the boy's blood during the explanation of how the boy planned to make it to the finals and do just well enough to not piss off his own mother, and not well enough to get promoted.

An explanation in seven parts based on a loose assumption of different opponent tactics, with options for different terrain setups, though with an overall assumption of a lot of clear space, due to the public nature of the finals.

Shukaku was just surprised.

Needless to say, the Ichibi hadn't met many Nara males in it's long life, and it wasn't quite sure what to make of this epitome of laziness.

With 'Mother's unusual silence, Gaara alone had to determine his next actions alone... a rare circumstance.

Normally, he would kill the loud girl and the lazy boy, leaving the fat one to wallow in hatred and fear, further confirming Gaara's existence.

Weak as the lazy one's purpose seemed, Gaara was intrigued by it's thoroughness, but not so much that he felt the boy would be a satisfying kill, and the girl herself was laughable.

Temari and Kankuro wouldn't be of any help deciding.

They'd stepped so far back from anything that even hinted at a threat to his leadership that they were barely more useful than an unlabeled map.

The obvious answer, for the interests of Suna anyway, would be to kill them, eliminating both the competition and a number of the village's personnel in preparation for the invasion plan...

Not that he really cared about that, beyond the chance to kill more, but even that would be taken away by Mother, if things progressed according to the plan...

"I could kill you all," Gaara said tonelessly, conversationally.

"Or you could take our scroll and let us go?" Ino offered, fluttering her eyelashes prettily.

Brash as she was, she didn't miss Shikamaru's unsubtle attempt to buy time, and come to the right conclusion as to their chances.

If the Suna-nin noticed her flirtatiousness, it wasn't apparent.

Kankuro turned away pointedly, really hoping he wouldn't have to see another formerly pretty blood smear on the ground...

Gaara had done that to the last kunoichi who'd tried to seduce him, and Kankuro still had nightmares about it on occasion.

She didn't die quickly or easily, and it was the only time the Kazekage had tried that particular form of assassination.

"Temari... How many scrolls do we have?" Gaara asked calmly.

"Three Heaven, one Earth," his sister answered instantly.

"Man, how'd you get that many?" Chouji asked, impressed despite his worry.

"Chumps like you guys keep popping out of the woodwork to jump us," Kankuro replied with a shrug. "And of course we can't just let something like that slide, now can we?"

Of course, moving at 'Gaara speed' made that sort of thing inevitable, not that they usually minded.

"Your scroll does not interest me," Gaara said, locking eyes with Shikamaru. "So tell me... Is there a reason I should let you live?"

"Why do you wanna kill us so much?" Shikamaru asked, half out of curiosity, and half to see what kind of answer might give them the best chance of survival.

The kid was too confident to be bluffing, and Shikamaru wanted to know why.

"It is my purpose. The reason for my creation. Killing validates my existence, and fear gives my life value," Gaara answered, a small spark of life entering his voice at last.

Shikamaru wasn't sure he believed something so outrageous, until he saw the guilty shame in the Suna kunoichi's eyes, and even the catsuited guy looked uncomfortable at the statement.

What must it be like to have this guy as a teammate?

He'd be even more shocked if he knew they were family as well.

Shikamaru settled to think, resisting the urge to fall into his habitual pose, just in case they thought he was trying to cast a jutsu.

After a minute or two, he looked to Gaara once more, who apparently hadn't moved a muscle.

"If you kill us here, no one will know you did it," he reasoned.

"I would let the fat one live, to tell who he chooses," Gaara replied simply.

"It's what he always does..." Temari commented sadly.

Her brother killed, and often, but he almost always made sure someone would live to spread the tale, and the terror.

It was a habit that had cost Suna a fair amount of notoriety, and one which no number of reprimands could apparently eliminate.

Chouji was too disturbed by the simple statement to properly sustain the flash of anger he felt, which was certainly a good thing.

"But the forest is fair game for lethal combat, we accepted that fact when we arrived," Shikamaru reasoned. "Just because there's a witness doesn't mean much, even assuming he can make it out alone."

Gaara cocked a bald eyebrow at that, it was true, but only suggested he should kill all three of them, from his perspective.

Shikamaru sighed at the obvious dismissal, and thought some more, until inspiration struck... not a sure thing by any chance, but it should appeal to someone like this guy.

"You want people to know you're a killer, right?" he asked.

"To fear me is to acknowledge me," Gaara confirmed.

"Then you should let us go, so we have a chance to make it to the finals, where the public fights will take place," Shikamaru suggested. "Where you can show your strength and purpose to the Daimyo, nobles and spectators."

Gaara blinked slowly.

What the lazy one said made sense, and the more people there were in the finals, the more blood he could spill in front of those people... hundreds, if the public arena here was comparable to the one in Suna...

Of course, many of those would die in the invasion, but the important guests were designated for capture, rather than elimination, and would spread tales of terror far and wide...

Even Mother agreed with that sentiment.

"Which scroll do you have?" Gaara asked.

Shikamaru considered not answering, or lying.

He had a bad feeling about this particular question... but he gave up that train of thought as too risky for their survival against the unpredictable redhead.

He sent a nod to Chouji, and the large boy retrieved their Earth scroll, from his chip pouch, which was probably the safest container in the entire forest.

"Temari, give them the scroll they need," Gaara ordered, with an odd and disturbing smile.

Shikamaru smiled weakly in return, as he accepted the item from the kunoichi, who offered it with a troubled expression.

She sent a look towards Gaara, who had resumed his walk, obviously expecting them to follow, and did so with a sad sigh.

Kankuro gestured for Team Ten to precede him, as he and Golett took up a reluctant rear guard position with a mutter of 'Dead men walking', which the Leaf ninja obviously didn't find comforting.

Shikamaru noted that this wasn't a circumstance he had anticipated in his planning... and really hoped he and his teammates would live long enough to make reconsidering that plan worthwhile...

* * *

Suna, Years ago:

Gaara owed a great deal to his uncle, Yashamaru.

Yashamaru had often told him that a person's value was measured in the lives they had touched, a theory he'd also proven not long after Gaara had killed the man.

The lonely redhead could still remember Temari's rage and pain when the Kazekage had reported his actions.

Not that anyone had ever explained the fact that Yashamaru had tried to kill him first...

Temari had sworn that she would never forgive him, and would never forget what he'd done.

But she'd actually looked him in the eye as she said it.

No nervous looking away, no fearfully avoiding his eyes... In her anger, she'd acknowledged his existence.

He'd touched her life, by ending Yashamaru's, and it had given his own a measure of validation.

It gave the young boy an idea...

A few days later, Gaara paid a visit to the open air market held weekly in the village.

It wasn't a large or impressive place, but it was tradition in the stoic desert town, and held an almost festive atmosphere in comparison to the villager's normally dour demeanor, as they sold their often homemade, and more valuable homegrown, wares.

Gaara shuffled through the market, unseen by the hated people, though his way was ever clear, as the crowds parted almost absently.

He stopped, stone still in the middle of the busiest pathway in the market.

He wasn't asked to move.

He wasn't jostled or bumped.

He never was.

For months he'd come here every market day, and not once was he asked to move by anyone.

The only way past him would be t come within his short arm's reach, but instead people backed away, pushing against the current of the crowd to exit the narrow aisle and circle around, going far our of their way to avoid him, as always.

This was one of the very few constant pieces of evidence he'd been able to find that they could see him, that he did in fact exist.

But now... he had another way.

Shutting his eyes, to distance himself from the still unpleasant decision, he pointed into the roiling crowd.

As always, Mother understood his desire, and sand boiled up from the ground around it's target.

And the screams began.

Above them all was a high pitched shriek of "Let go!" repeating over and over.

Gaara looked now, curious as to who his blind gesture had selected, but the crowd was still too thick, too shocked by the unprovoked event to flee, so he lifted his hand, raising the cocoon of sand and the large man within above the staring masses.

As well as the crying child latched onto the man's leg, sand beginning to creep across her as well.

He recognized the girl, one of those who had denied his right to play with their ball, the day his uncle had last lived.

'_How appropriate...'_ Mother whispered within his mind.

"Let go!" she screamed again, yanking uselessly on the limb in her arms, futilely trying to rescue her father from the unexplained attack.

Gaara flicked his hand, and the cocoon shuddered, a part of it's whole ripping the girl off and tossing her through the air to land at Gaara's feet, where she lay dazed and struggling to rise again.

"Look at me," Gaara ordered, sounding almost more like a plead. "Look at me!"

The crowd jerked, turning to the unstable boy, terror filling the market near to bursting.

"Don't ignore me..." he said in an unsteady voice, as it sunk in that he was about to end a life that hadn't tried to kill him first. "Don't ignore me anymore... I exist! I am real! You can see me, and I can prove it now!"

Some of the boy's reluctant audience recognized the boy's pain for what it was, recognized their own roles in bringing things to this point, and turned their eyes away in shame and self loathing.

But Gaara, immature and balanced on an emotional razor's edge, couldn't tell that distinction.

"Look at me!" He roared, his voice cracking and fists clenching in frustrated anger.

Blood rained from the sky as 'Mother' showed the crowd what price would be paid for their disobedience.

The body crashed to the ground as the crowd panicked, rushing fearfully from the market, destroying stalls and injuring each other in their haste.

Not one person so much as brushed by Gaara, who soon left, shuffling away to be alone with his thoughts, and trying to ignore the wailing cries behind him.

Or as alone as the jinchuuriki of Shukaku ever was.

That was Gaara's first true murder, but as traumatizing as it was for the boy, Mother soothed him with assurances that it was necessary, that by doing so he was assuring his continued existence.

The Kazekage said not a word about Gaara's little display, since he cared little for the occasional civilian death.

The weak often died in the desert afterall.

Gaara was at the next market day, standing in that walkway, staring at the spot where the man he'd killed had fallen.

It was easy, since no one seemed to want to go near it, nor him.

But they all watched him.

In fact, over the following weeks, he learned that it didn't matter where he was, people saw him... watched him... looked at him.

He didn't even mind the fear in their eyes.

At least not until a couple weeks later, when a woman tried to kill him with a kitchen knife.

She died quickly, Mother eliminating the threat before Gaara had even truly reacted to it.

He never really learned her reason for the attack, or cared to try.

Neither did he ever learn that the little girl who'd tried to uselessly to protect her father was now an orphan.

Mother had told him that it was the way of humans, that he had to kill any who might even think of attacking him, if he wished to survive in their world.

Gaara trusted Mother implicitly, and he took her advice, killing those she identified as threats without argument.

And then the assassination attempts resumed, as the Kazekage had to appease the civilians in some way.

Of course, ever pragmatic, most of the 'ninja' he sent after Gaara were prisoners and convicts, masked and bound by genjutsu into loyal, if temporary, assassins.

It wasn't like they could be let go anyway, and Gaara was as effective an executioner as any.

But when they inevitably failed, he had to officially censure the jinchuuriki, a useless gesture that nonetheless reassured his people.

At the almost-private hearing, attended by only the Kazekage, Gaara, and his trio of advisers, a concept was put into the boy's mind that he hadn't considered before.

All as a result of the Kazekage's callous disregard for the dead civilians.

"What value have they?" Gaara's father had asked, when his financial adviser mentioned them during the village leader's heavily fictionalized listing of the loyal dead at Gaara's hands.

Gaara later learned that 'he' had killed the respected civilian who objected to the Kazekage's dismissal, despite the fact that he had walked out in the middle of the man's lecture on the value of all life.

He had killed more than a dozen civilians by that point, but the one life he hadn't taken made him more notorious by far.

It seemed that everyone in the village had known, or known of, the kind man.

He was beloved. His life had purpose, had value.

And as his killer, even as a lie, it gave Gaara's life value, and everyone in Suna soon knew his name, his face, and knew to fear the boy whom even the Kazekage wouldn't, or couldn't, seem to properly restrain.

Killing was Gaara's purpose.

And by killing those with value, he claimed a measure of such for himself, as the love held for the deceased became hate and fear aimed towards himself.

And as long as he was feared, as long as he was hated, as long as he was seen, he could never be forgotten.

And if he was never forgotten, he would never cease to exist.

_'Kill them all, and let their terror be your legacy...'_

Mother always had the best ideas...

* * *

Day Two: Forest of Death

"A-are you sure your teammates will be okay?" Hinata asked, stuttering a little in her concern and humiliation.

She had broken her word!

By accident, but still, Naruto-kun was obsessive about keeping his promises...

It was a very disheartening step backwards along her progress towards being more like the boy who inspired her.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, it was just a bunch of leeches," Kabuto replied loudly. "If they'd have listened when I told them not to underestimate you rookies, we might not be in this predicament at all..."

"Stubborn fools, trying to make me break our deal... they got what they deserved, that's what I think!" He added quietly, leaning over and winking conspiratorially at the girl, ignoring the low hum of Akamaru's growl from the girl's lap. Vulpix had surrendered her preferred perch in favor of staring into the flickering flames of the campfire.

From the odd ring of apparently empty air above Kabuto's head, a long tongue flicked out and bopped the puppy on the nose, eliciting a shivering yelp. _(Lick_)

Kabuto flicked the air above his head, a mild punishment for attacking allies, but one that caught the chameleon pokemon on the snout and caused it to flicker into it's true coloration for a moment, before fading away again.

"I'm glad we didn't cost you your chance to continue..." Hinata said quietly, fiddling with her fingers and looking away self consciously.

She wasn't sure if the medic was flirting with her, or just being nice, but it always made her nervous when someone acted like that.

Well, someone other than Naruto-kun... not that he ever had.

Or that she'd be conscious after a wink from him anyway...

"And I'm glad you're such a good person, helping me get them fixed up like that," Kabuto replied, leaning back away and speaking more normally. "The Hyuuga could use a few more people like you... but then, so could the rest of the Great Clans..."

Hinata flinched at the praise, and shook her head slightly. "I... didn't do much... really," she mumbled. Even after months on Team Eight, she had trouble accepting honest compliments.

It didn't help that the elders had suggested letting her become a medic on occasion, if only because it was an aspiration 'unsuited' to an heir of her supposed stature, and would thus justify her official demotion.

But then, so was everything else she enjoyed.

"It's more than most people would have done, and that's what really matters," Kabuto disagreed. "Never discount the small things. As a medic, I can assure you that enough of a harmful bacteria can take down even the strongest ninja, and things don't get much smaller than that."

"His point is valid, Hinata-san," Shino agreed. "Most of the ninja in a village are genin, a far cry from the jounin, but without them the village itself could not function."

"Besides, it's not right to disparage yourself more than a seven-time failure like me," Kabuto chuckled. "Especially after that trap of yours. First day in this hellish place and already you're using the natives against your opponents... Seriously, bad news for the rest of us."

"It... was Shino-kun's idea," Hinata replied, knowing the stoic boy wouldn't mention it himself.

"Yeah, but you spotted the nest, which gave him the idea," Kiba put in grumpily.

He still didn't trust that Kabuto, or his veiled teammates, but he'd be damned if he was going to let Hinata keep pushing all the credit away, just because she thought she should have spotted the guy sooner.

"Enough of this. We've got more important things to do than sit here trading useless compliments with the competition," one of Kabuto's teammates interrupted, obviously glaring at the medic through to darkly tinted glasses he wore.

"Yeah, unlike you, we plan to win this exam and get our promotions in one try. No matter who we gotta take out to do it," the other added, scowling at Hinata, who refused to meet his eyes.

"Well, let's not be hasty," Kabuto argued smoothly. "We're all Konoha ninja, and there's nothing that says we can't work together, right?"

"No, but why the heck would we want to?" Kiba fired back. "We kicked your butts easily enough."

He really didn't like that guy, though he couldn't put his finger on why, and discussing it with Shino hadn't helped, though the bug-nin had agreed to stay on his guard around them.

There was just something about the guy that made him seem... hollow. Like a grave waiting to be filled, and he didn't care what fell in.

And according to Hinata, his chakra had that same empty sensation to it, though she put it much more nicely, and was more focused on her inability to recognize it at first.

Shino suspected that the medic had a lot of practice suppressing his chakra signature for some reason or another, possibly to make him harder to spot in the repeated exams, which might explain why he was still alive after so many...

But Kiba didn't think so.

To an Inuzuka, all this practically screamed 'Spy', but one of Konoha's who was still in training or someone more sinister?

Either way, the guy smelled fishier than an alley-cat's dinner, and Kiba didn't like it.

"Well... I'm sharing secrets again, but the truth is that we're a capture squad too," Kabuto explained. "Only with a lot less tracking options than you have."

It was hard to tell with their faces as hidden as they were, but Kabuto's team was probably livid at this betrayal, and both Kiba and Shino found it strange that they hadn't simply silenced the apparently weak genin physically.

"So a partnership works well for us, in that we can benefit from your tracking skills, and in exchange you get some extra backup and a trained medic, which it can't hurt to have around," Kabuto added.

"To say nothing of whatever advantages your information can supply," Shino remarked, which Kabuto agreed to with a simple smile and nod.

"And what's to keep us from just taking their scroll the second you look away?" Misumi asked snidely of Kabuto.

"Same thing that stops them from doing it to us: We have the same scrolls," Kabuto replied, sending a subtle glare at the sadistic contortionist. "Which you would have known if you hadn't spent the night unconscious from blood loss."

"Fine, we're in, but if we only find one scroll, we're taking it." Yoroi stated bluntly.

"If you can, chump," Kiba growled back, gesturing towards Kabuto. "Only reason you three even woke up is cause of Hinata and him, so don't push my patience or we'll put you down. Hard."

Kiba's challenge was echoed by Cranidos, who'd been half asleep with boredom, but roused easily at the prospect of a fight, and Akamaru, who growled aggressively and rose from Hinata's lap.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata called, her voice scolding, or as close to it as the girl could come.

"We accept your offer, and thank you for the assistance," She said kindly to Kabuto. "I am certain we will be stronger and more successful for the collaboration."

Shino hesitated a moment, but nodded in accord when Hinata looked to him for agreement.

Kiba slapped his palm to his face in frustration.

He was happy that the girl was learning to be a bit more bold, in her own shuffling way, but she still hadn't learned the difference between 'self assured' and 'overconfident' yet.

Which wasn't to say that she didn't stop to think about things before accepting, at least not since Kurenai demonstrated why she should.

Kiba still hadn't forgiven her for committing the team to train with that green spandex-guy for a week, but at least she learned, and the training was useful, if a bit intense.

Unfortunately, her mantra happened to be 'What would Naruto-kun do?', and that was far from reassuring.

In truth, Hinata had considered continuing to work with Gai, knowing that if anyone could help her get stronger, it would be him... But Neji had turned disturbingly nasty after the jolly green jounin started comparing his 'flames of youth' to hers... Unfavorably.

And worst of all, despite what progress she had made, she still couldn't get within sight of Naruto without turning into a stuttering wreck!

Kiba continued his mental ranting for a while, as the rest of the genin focused on formulating a plan to locate and beat another team, a task complicated by Kabuto's teammates going all cryptic about their specific abilities, claiming that whatever happened, they would fit themselves in where they would do the most good.

Hoping to hold whatever advantages they could over the easily identifiable clan kids probably.

It was eventually decided that they should follow the river, expecting that enough other teams would do the same, either needing the food and water it would supply, or to ambush teams who did.

None of it really mattered to Kiba, who was more worried about their new 'allies' than any enemies they might come across...

He took some comfort when Shino caught his eye and nodded significantly, for perched on the edge of his glasses was one of the slightly distinct female kikaichu.

Apparently the silent and observant Aburame had already taken steps to address any future treachery.

* * *

Orochimaru strolled through the Forest of Death, humming an old tune from his younger years.

It was unusual for him to feel so relaxed, but it was hard not to, given the many happy memories he had of this place, and how utterly satisfying this trip had been so far.

First, Sasuke, who had been so wonderfully impressive in his surprise test, was alive and well, and apparently had already tasted the power the curse mark could supply, a fact the Sannin knew thanks to the burst of his own chakra released as a result of it's awakening.

It probably meant the end of Sound Team A, but a gain of such magnitude would involve a sacrifice of some sort...

And those three would be more than happy to die for the cause.

Second: One of the hidden labs he'd been forced to abandon in his escape from Konoha had apparently remained undiscovered, despite Anko's frequent trips into the training ground.

Apparently, he hadn't been excessively paranoid, carving it out of the bedrock beneath a nest of giant ants, relying on weak repulsion seals to dissuade the insects themselves from interfering with it.

By contrast, the much more accessible lab he'd brought Anko to on a number of occasions had been vandalized almost beyond identification.

Such a jealous child, incapable of understanding that there were things far more important than her simple infatuation.

But hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... or so they say.

They were probably right, judging by the number of kunai now embedded in his chest...

"You never were much one for reunions, were you, Anko-chan?" He asked wryly, before dissolving into mud.

"Nope, but I've been looking forward to this one for years!" She replied loudly, putting her back to a tree and keeping her eyes open for any hint of her former sensei.

Wound at her waist, Seviper's tongue flicked in and out between it's glistening fangs, flexing it's limber body in preparation for a fight. _(Coil)_

"Really? You must have been so lonely without your sensei, Anko-chan, kukuku" the Sannin's voice tickled her ear seductively.

On reflex, Anko spun and slashed, lopping the laughing head off of the thin but exceptionally long snake Orochimaru had spoken through.

'Come on out you bastard!" Anko called angrily as the summoned serpent poofed away. "We both know how this has to end!"

"Yes, yes. 'Next time I see you, I'll kill you or die trying,' such a dreary sentiment," Orochimaru recalled, speaking from above the woman as he lay comfortably against the bottom of one of the many branches overhead.

Thankfully the Five Elements Seal's position was such that it could only interfere with molding chakra for those jutsu he still needed seals to perform, which left him head and shoulders above everyone in the village except maybe the Old fool and that tricky warhawk Danzo.

"But what if I don't feel like killing anyone today?" A second Orochimaru asked, before she could attack the first.

She spun towards the new voice, leaping away to keep both in sight, but stumbled her landing as if she'd been hit.

Seviper hissed, and turned it's angry glare between the two Orochimaru's threateningly while it's partner recovered her composure.

"Dear Anko-chan, it looks like you've seen a ghost..." The second said sympathetically, and ironically, for in a way... she had.

Because there was the traitor Sannin, camped in the hollow of a giant tree, in full Konoha jounin garb, grilling fish over a small fire, just as he'd done so often when he was teaching her.

"What the hell are you playing at?" Anko hissed, shaking a few involuntary tears from her eyes at the memories of long dead happiness his outfit resurrected. "And why are you wearing those clothes?!"

"These old things?" Orochimaru asked wistfully, retrieving a fish and checking it's doneness. "I guess I was feeling nostalgic... We had a lot of good times in this forest, didn't we?"

He ate a small bite, humming in satisfaction as he waved for Anko to take a seat, as she had done a hundred or more times before.

Instead of accepting, a kunai flashed in and nailed the second treat to the center of the fire pit.

"A simple 'No thank you' would have sufficed," Orochimaru remarked calmly, sending a mildly disproving look her way.

"So, big bad Orochimaru's gotten homesick? Want to come back home after all the shit you've done, is that it?" Anko asked, nearly shaking with fury as the steel kunai in her hand groaned from her grip.

"Hmhmhm," Orochimaru chuckled warmly. "Hardly that. I have a new home, built by my own effort and genius, and populated by soldiers and students who share my ideals and ambition. In fact, a number of them are taking the exam as we speak, and we both know I've always had trouble containing my curiosity..."

"I thought I'd see how they were doing," he explained with a smile. "Strictly observation, I assure you, Sannin's honor." He drew an X over his heart while looking her in the eye endearingly.

The kunai bent in her hand as Anko remembered another time he'd looked at her that way... The day he'd promised that he hadn't been responsible for the atrocities found within his laboratory.

"As if you have any idea what honor means you evil son of a bitch!" Anko screamed, launching the ruined blade, too angry to realize it's flaws.

She charged in at him, flipping another pair of blades into her hands as she did, and Seviper led her attack by spewing out a massive volume of toxin, virtually flooding the area around them. _(Sludge Wave)_

Orochimaru ignored the wildly tumbling hunk of metal and virtually danced backwards from both the approaching wave of poison and Anko's reckless strikes and Seviper's followup bites and slashes, slipping up the inner wall of the tree hollow and across the roof until with a graceful hop, he exited the tree and leapt to untainted ground.

Without hesitation, Anko leapt to the hollow's back wall, rebounded off it and charged after him like a thrown kunai, sending her own blades flying at the man, and leaving the fatally corrupted tree to crash to the ground behind her.

With a serpentine weave, Orochimaru dodged the blades and Anko's wild grab, snatching a fistful of the woman's trenchcoat and redirected her leap into an uncontrolled flight towards a much more sturdy arboreal giant.

Taking advantage of the Sannin's spinning throw, Seviper released it's hold on Anko to turn some of that inertia into a violet glowing slash of it's tail-blade, tearing through Orochimaru's flack jacket, though the genius managed to duck backwards and beneath the attack before anything so embarrassing as an actual wound could be inflicted. _(Night Slash)_

Anko rolled in the air in time to see her former sensei catch Seviper by the throat as the serpent tried to sink it's fangs into the man's face.

It's retaliatory Iron Tail was also caught in the man's other hand, leaving the nearly nine foot long pokemon snapping and thrashing uselessly.

"Striking Shadow Snakes!" Anko called, launching the attack at Orochimaru.

The man rolled his eyes and spat a wall of wind at her seallessly, scattering the impossibly long serpents harmlessly and rocketting Anko even more quickly towards the tree, though by then she had already prepared for the impact, and landed with a confident smirk.

"You've grown soft, Anko-chan," Orochimaru taunted, squeezing Seviper's throat to end the fledgling Venoshock attack it had attempted to use. "Life in this village must be smothering what potential you once possessed."

"Not a chance _Sensei_," Anko replied sweetly. "I've just learned to rely on my allies... something you never did!"

On cue, the Substitute Seviper poofed out of existence, leaving a thick cloud of toxic fumes in it's wake, while a number of summoned snakes ripped out of the ground at the Sannin's feet, biting and binding him in place.

At the same time, Anko launched a sizzling kunai into the cloud, turning the entire area into a conflagration as the explosion ignited the volatile toxins in the air.

Once the fireball dispersed, Anko crept over to the spot where Orochimaru had been standing, searching the spot and surroundings for any hint of his survival.

It seemed too easy, especially for a ninja of Orochimaru's caliber, but even he could be caught off guard... right?

And indeed he could, but not easily, and not so soon after being surprised by someone like Naruto Uzumaki and his pokemon.

He rose soundlessly from the ground at her back, and grabbed both her hands with his, stretching his arms wide and pulling her against him as he trailed a slimy tongue along her neck and over the mark he'd placed there, infusing it with more of his chakra and sending waves of agony through the woman.

"You're right of course," he hissed into her ear. "I never really relied on anyone, did I? But then you were all such disappointments... Was there ever a reason to?"

Anko whimpered a bit as she tried fighting off the curse mark's insinuations, resisting the urge to beg forgiveness for her betrayal, no matter how correct the decision to do so had been.

Orochimaru suppressed a sigh and ceased the chakra infusion when he realized how hard she was fighting.

On some level he had hoped the woman who had been his most fervent supporter would rejoin him, but apparently it wasn't to be... A pity, but so long as she lived, she would serve him in some small manner.

So long as his chakra remained within her seal, he could not truly die, and when she did... well, a fresh body was more appealing, but contingency plans were rarely pleasant.

"You were also right about my promise you know," Orochimaru continued, once she was lucid enough to understand her. "I'm afraid I couldn't resist inviting a certain genin to join my village. He truly impressed me, and I'm quite confident that he will survive, and accept the offer you scorned..."

"I'll kill you before I let you do what you did to me, to anyone else!" Anko declared, trying futilely to pull herself away from him.

He held on long enough to prove that she couldn't break free, before releasing the woman with a weak shove.

She stumbled a bit, spinning on him drunkenly as she drew yet another blade, but it was useless as a simple gesture was enough for Orochimaru to twist the chakra he'd forced into her coils, leaving her limbs numb and unresponsive.

Taking the apparent opening, Seviper launched itself from the branches silently, throwing itself into a spinning slash that would hit with enough force to shatter bone, both it's target's and it's own. _(Final Gambit)_

But Orochimaru wasn't unprotected, even from that angle, and the clone he'd left lounging against the branch earlier caught Seviper's head as it came by, and drove the pokemon's massive fangs into the wood next to it.

It's motion now anchored, the pokemon kept spinning until it had wound it's way around the branch, and when it's tail came around, that too was nailed into the tree, ending the loyal serpent pokemon's suicidal attempt to protect it's partner.

"I didn't want to do that, Anko-chan," Orochimaru said with false sympathy, walking over to cup her cheek in one oddly soft hand.

Her options limited, Anko did what little she could: She spit in his face.

"Stop... fucking with me... you bastard!" She growled through her pain, her hands twitching and arms jerking as she tried to grasp one of the many kunai and senbon spilling from her sleeves at the motion.

Orochimaru cocked an eyebrow at her, impressed despite himself at the sheer number of sharp implements on her person, and at the tenacity of her attempts to force a battle she knew she couldn't win.

"Oh Anko, do you truly think I would do something like that to you?" He crooned, looking into her pained eyes.

"It's not about you," he said. "It's about my students, the boy I marked, the exam, and Konoha. I want to see how far they go, and how well they fight... But if my fun is ended prematurely... well, you know how I get... I might just have to burn this pathetic village to the ground..."

A bit of steel crept into her eyes at the threat, and Orochimaru smiled at her.

"But you? It can't be about you..." He said compassionately. "How could it be, when you haven't mattered to me in years?"

Orochimaru savored her immense pain as he strolled away, confident that she would be effectively helpless until the majority of his invading chakra was destroyed.

No matter how much she hated him, he would always be her first love, and she could never truly dismiss the years she'd spent practically worshiping him.

It gave him such a wonderful knife to twist in moments like this.

But then, neither could he truly dismiss the melancholy he felt on those rare occasions when he thought of the future that might have been, if she hadn't let her fear and empathy towards a bunch of dead brats turn her against him...

But never was he one to allow something as irrational as emotion to guide him.

That was the sort of thing the Old Fool and Jiraiya would do... Or Tsunade, who was still running from her childish fears...

No. No matter what, his was the proper path, even if he and Kabuto were the only ones who could see it.

* * *

A Pelipper soared through the air, rapidly gaining height, despite the struggling pokemon trapped within it's cavernous bill-pouch, ignoring the calls of it's unlucky passenger's partner.

When it had reached the treetops, Pelipper flipped into a loop, opening it's maw and ejecting Tyrogue with as much force as it could muster. _(Sky Drop)_

But trained by the Green Beasts of Konoha, Tyrogue wouldn't surrender the fight so easily, and he snagged the bird's bill as he exited, pulling himself up to the much larger Pelipper and planting a fist into the surprised pokemon's face.

The two fell in a tumble, as Tyrogue crawled over the bird, punching, kicking, and headbutting, until Pelipper tried to recover and resume flight, at which point Tyrogue grabbed the pokemon's wings and threw himself them both into a rotation. _(Rapid Spin)_

The two airborne pokemon, locked together in an insane grapple and spiraling recklessly out of control, slammed into the hard ground with a resounding crash.

The bodies shifted, and the winner was revealed, as if there could have been any doubt, even in a battle where he was so disadvantaged.

"Tyyyy... Rogue!" The pokemon pitfighter cried, throwing it's arms to the sky and cheering it's own victory.

It had taken more than ten minutes to defeat the Flying type, and his injuries were many, but Tyrogue had defeated the opponent he had claimed, a choice made specifically for the youthful challenge of it.

"Yosh! Your youthful flames will surely eclipse me own if you continue in such a manner!" His exuberant partner exclaimed, an exaggeration of course, but one which the Tyrogue appreciated.

Lee had completely overwhelmed his own opponent in half a dozen blows, and was truly a living monument to the glory of Fighting.

"Ty! Tyrogue, ty ty! Rogue ty ro ty rogue!" The pokemon cheered in return, a promise to do his best to fulfill Lee's expectations of him, while acknowledging that the boy's own flames would continue to grow ever more bright.

"Then we shall both do our best!" Lee replied, though he had little more than a vague idea of his partner's words. "Let the grand glow of our youthful fires become as twin suns chasing each other ever higher across the skys of our potential!"

"Ty! Tyrogue!" The pokemon agreed, throwing it's arms around Lee's waist in a youthful hug, which the taijutsu terror returned equally, dropping to a knee so that they were nearly level, yelling his own name of all things.

"Lee!"

"Tyrogue!"

"Lee!"

"Tyrogue!"

"They're doing it again..." Neji stated coldly, more disturbed than he would ever admit by the two's adaptation to the chanting hugs Lee and their sensei shared far too often to be properly healthy.

He closed his eyes, returning to the passive meditation he'd enjoyed since defeating his opponent in an exchange that only took two hits, one of which was the Waterfall-nin slamming into the ground unconscious.

He would have preferred to simply end the laughable battle and leave, but that might be a display of agitation unacceptable in a Hyuuga... plus Lee and Tyrogue would whine.

Loudly, and constantly, until they got a chance to fight again.

Besides, Sneasel took his time dismantling it's Bidoof opponent, beating the stubborn and foolish pokemon into the ground repeatedly in an uncharacteristically generous lesson as to the vast difference between a fated winner and a born loser. _(False Swipes to extend the battle)_

"Oh, let the boys have their fun," Tenten scolded playfully, pausing in her work to tap off some excess metallic dust. "They're gonna be cooped up on a boring old tower for the next few days, so let them get it out of their systems while they can."

Neji scoffed at that.

As if he cared what the idiotic eyesore wanted.

"Besides, it's not like there's any risk of someone sneaking up on us with you on lookout, she added with a smirk.

Neji smirked in agreement, grudgingly acceding the point. It would take a stealthy ninja indeed to get the drop on him.

But that didn't mean he wanted to sit here like a target, there were places to go... and people he wouldn't mind meeting in this anarchic setting...

He meditated quietly, savoring what peace he could find in the rhythmic rasping of Tenten's efforts, and trying to ignore the more annoying celebration of his other teammate, who had apparently moved onto analyzing the fight to learn where Tyrogue could best improve.

Pelipper was an unwilling and very confused prop in the discussion, but was reluctant to leave it's still unconscious partner.

"How much longer will you be at that?" He asked grumpily, when it became obvious that peace would elude him for now.

"Shouldn't be too much longer..." Tenten replied cheerfully, tapping the fine grain file off on the ground beside her. "I'm almost done with the first wing!"

Eying the steel dust scattered around and on her, Neji sighed in exasperation.

"I wish you would save that for your own time," he muttered.

"And I wish you'd stop with all that 'fate' nonsense," Tenten replied grumpily. "Besides, I don't bother you about your hair thing, so don't bother me about this."

"That 'hair thing' as you so crudely put it, is necessary grooming for a Hyuuga of my standing. Your... dust production can hardly be considered of similar merit," Neji disagreed, with all of his smug superiority.

"Hey, grooming is grooming, and Skarmory has to look her best when we **Rain Death from Above!**" Tenten replied, sounding more than a little excited by her favorite tactic. "Besides, you know how much fighting other Steel types damages her poor feathers..."

Neji released a near silent groan as the rasp of sharpening steel resumed, alongside Lee and Tyrogue's full-power rehearsal, without Pelipper, to the pokemon's pleasure.

One beating was enough.

Tenten and Skarmory had defeated their own enemies together and in full compliance with the girl's standard plan of 'Throw something at it. If it's still standing, throw something bigger and sharper'.

She had yet to find an opponent that required an attack bigger and sharper than Skarmory itself, but he suspected that if a rampaging Biju happened by, she would find some way to throw the Hokage monument at it.

After trying a few buildings and such of course.

Probably using her second love: Explosives.

Sometimes that girl was scary, even to him, and her Skarmory wasn't much better.

Even Sneasel didn't mess with that one, though it spent a fair amount of time picking on Tyrogue, relying on it's impressive speed to keep the young pokemon from connecting with one of it's potentially devastating Fighting moves.

Neji amused himself with memories of the battles Sneasel had fought against the little Fighting type, but even that wasn't enough to fully drive away the annoyance his loud teammate was involved in.

"Tenten, Lee, let us leave. Now." Neji declared, after a couple long minutes of barely tolerating his teams continuing eccentricities. "We will have days for you to complete your... grooming."

"But I'm not done! And poor Skar's still all scratched up..." Tenten protested, hugging the pokemon adorably and sending a pleading look at Neji. "What if we run into someone on the way?"

Skarmory screeched at Neji in agreement, nudging Tenten with the half finished wing and turning her nose up at the Hyuuga boy primly.

"Girls and their vanity..." Neji muttered in annoyance. "We won't, you'll be able to keep Skarmory's precious pride, and feathers, untarnished." He declared, flaring his byakugan pointedly.

"Well... Okay." Tenten agreed, looking over the remaining flaws on her Pokemon's chrome-like carapace. "But if we do, you're buying my next set of whetstones! And I mean the good ones too!"

Neji almost winced, but nodded instead, knowing the inordinate cost for the ones Tenten preferred, and the even more punishing penalty that would be invoked by Gai if he tried to renege on the unofficial promise.

The pragmatic pessimist took off through the treetops, byakugan focused in a forward arc, and mind focused on his eventual peace and quiet.

Behind him, his allies shared a youthful grin and thumb up, unseen by the distracted Neji, before they chased after him on foot and wing.

Lee and Tenten had decided to find some way to force their teammate to hurry through this phase, fearful of what might happen if they lingered and happened across the wrong team.

Gai had already forced a promise from the Hyuuga prodigy to leave personal issues out of the exam, but neither teammate was fully confident that something like that would really hold the boy back.

And if the Hyuuga clan was willing to fry a person's brain for the little things Neji had been punished for in the past, what would they do if they found out he'd attacked the heir in a place like this?

Team Gai had learned well the rules by which Leaf teams operate, and they would protect their own, even from himself.

* * *

Day 2: Tower

The living quarters of the tower were large but plain, each floor being divided into four identical quarter-circles around the center spiraling staircase.

Something was intangibly creepy about the first of those floors, which had two rooms claimed, and for some reason had sand scattered haphazardly around the landing.

It was something of a surprise that the chunin floor guards hadn't cleaned it up a bit, since there would probably be foreigners around, and the sloppiness just didn't look proper.

Team Seven continued up to the next floor, which was entirely unoccupied, and claimed one of the four rooms, shifting the door's sign to 'Occupied' and leaving it open for Karin.

Inside they found out how big the rooms really were, and why, as each one was mostly bare, aside from a trio of beds, a shelf holding a dozen or so scrolls on basic ninja warfare and training, as well as one novel entitled 'The Gutsy Ninja', placed in each room by Sarutobi years before when Jiraiya asked him to find something to do with the excess copies of his least popular book.

They did have a tendency to disappear every so often, but Sarutobi didn't mind in the least, given the number he still had in storage and the value of the book's message.

Naruto thought it sounded a bit corny from the back cover's description, but it was neat that the main guy shared his name, and he resolved to give it a read if he had time.

The rest of the room was dominated by a full sized sparring ring, and a space with training posts, for any ninja or pokemon who felt the need for more training.

Sakura took the time to wheedle a fourth bed out of the floor guard who had followed them up, since every team apparently had an assigned overseer, and it was against the rules for a team to claim two rooms.

The man agreed with little argument, retrieving one with the help of a sealing scroll just in time for Karin's arrival.

Sakura then claimed first dibs on the shared bathroom located between their room and one adjacent, promising dire consequences if Naruto tried to peek.

Naruto waved it off distractedly, as Charmeleon wasted no time entering the circle and calling out Kirlia for a match.

Unlike her previous evolution, the feisty Kirlia agreed with gusto, lashing out with a coil of electricity as she entered. _(Thunder Wave)_

They were still going at it when Sakura returned from a fairly long, muscle soothing, soak, a new habit she'd found quite enjoyable on the rare occasions she could indulge it.

Eevee had even joined them, making it a grand melee, with the three present humans cheering or grunting encouragement as was their natures.

Supporting all three equally, Audino used Heal Pulse and Heal Bell to keep the combatants going, as well as Lucky Chant to prevent any unfortunately severe injuries.

Charmeleon was happier than he'd been in a long while, and became happier still when he convinced Eevee to team up with Kirlia and give him a real test.

In the end, it was Audino who called an end to the battle, her own energy flagging from the near constant healing.

She would become a lot more used to it over the next few days, as Charmeleon milked the opportunity for such training for all it was worth.

That evening, the four humans and four ravenously hungry pokemon headed for the cafeteria to find some real food.

The oversized group hadn't even fully entered before they were accosted in a manner that left the chunin guards snickering rather than interfering.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino squealed, leaping from a table near the door and attacking the boy with a massive hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Before any of Team Seven could figure out what she was on about, the girl pushed away, her hands on Sasuke's shoulders, looking at him with baggy, red-lined eyes.

"You're real strong, and cool and brave and Make him stop creeping on me!" Ino wailed hysterically. "I'll do anything!"

"Let go of me..." Sasuke growled, yet again fighting the strange mark's hatred of his fangirls, as well as his own.

The order was obeyed instantly, Ino releasing her hold and clasping her hands pleadingly instead.

"I'll do anything, please!" Ino repeated. "He just stood outside our room the whole night watching us with his creepy sand eyes... We came down here to get some sleep, but he just followed us and he's still staring!"

"Where is he?" Naruto asked threateningly. "I'll show the pervy bastard not to mess with my friends, even if Sasuke won't!"

"My interest is far from perverse, Naruto Uzumaki," Gaara said quietly from the hall behind them, where he had shunshined after catching sight of the interesting Uzumaki.

"They offered to help validate my existence, and so I am simply ensuring that they remain safe, and secure, until the time comes for me to kill them, publicly," Gaara explained wearing a disturbing smile and advancing not towards the Konoha ninja, but to their foreign guest.

Karin, eyes wide and speechless backed away from the mad jinchuuriki.

"When I let you live, I had no suspicion that we would meet again so soon," he said, sounding almost excited. "Will you be competing as well, despite your teammates' deaths? Will you validate my existence yet again?"

Gaara stopped and turned his gaze away from the girl when his path was blocked, locking his green eyes with the intense blue orbs of Naruto.

"Will you?" He asked simply, eagerly.

"You keep bugging my cousin an' I'll kick your ass right here, right now," Naruto promised with a toothy smile. "Sakura an' the Teme already passed, so if anyone gets disqualified for pickin' a fight, it'll just be you an' me."

"An acceptable risk," Gaara agreed readily.

"No it is not!" Temari yelled, interrupting the jinchuuriki staredown. "You're Suna's pride, our strongest genin. You know how much the Kazekage is looking forward to seeing you in the finals..."

Kirlia looked at the girl suspiciously, wondering at the words and emotions that seemed so at odds with each other.

"His desires are not mine," Gaara replied coldly. "Leave us be, unless you wish to test your purpose against my own."

"Hey! You can't mean that!" Naruto objected, looking surprised. "He can't mean that, right? Aren't you his sister?"

"A coincidence of birth, nothing more," Gaara disagreed. "She is no more my sister than the Kazekage is my father. She and Kankuro only survive because to test myself against ones so pathetic would be meaningless."

Temari couldn't bear the dismissal in Gaara's bland stare and turned away, as she always did. As everyone did, except those willing to fight and die to prove their value.

But useless though the girl was, she had a point: The Kazekage wouldn't prove Gaara's existence if the plan failed.

He would end it.

Even Mother was unwilling to provoke the Kazekage overmuch, who had somehow defeated Shukaku on a number of occasions.

"But be assured, Naruto Uzumaki, your pathetic allies no longer interest me... much," Gaara said, dismissing all consideration of his biological kin. "You are my chosen prey, and you are the one I feel will prove my existence most in the finals... I look forward to crushing you in front of everyone..."

"Yeah? Well same to you, creep," Naruto replied angrily. "Just leave my friends outta it."

"If I fight them, they will die," Gaara replied simply, turning and walking away. "Beyond that, I have less use for them than I do for my teammates."

"Gaara, wait!" Temari called after him uselessly.

Her brother didn't even pause.

"Just let it go, sis, You know how he is," Kankuro suggested from their table, where he still sat, having not even bothered to pause his meal for the confrontation.

"So we shouldn't even try?" Temari asked, glaring angrily at the puppet user.

"Course we should, but stick with something realistic, that's all I'm saying," Kankuro replied dismissively. "You know: Poison, water jutsu, that sort of thing. Appealing to Gaara's sense of family won't do shit. He got that much from dear old Dad, you gotta admit."

"He wasn't always that way," Temari tried arguing, but Kankuro cut her off.

"And I wasn't always the dashing man you see before you, but I ain't going back into diapers just cause you refuse to accept the way things are," He said sharply. "Gaara is what he is, and nothin' you or I do is gonna change that. Best bet is to accept to and move on. I suggest coming up with something that might help you survive for when he decides he's sick of us."

"Tch, fine, give up and go hide. You're good at that," Temari spat at him, stomping away and out of the room between the swiftly scattering Konoha ninja at the door.

"Least that plan works!" Kankuro called after her, before shrugging and pulling her still half full plate to himself.

"That was just... odd," Sakura commented.

"And I thought our team was messed up..." Sasuke muttered in agreement.

"Yeah... Never figured Naruto could chase a guy like that off," Ino added. "But that means I can go back to holding my Sasuke-kun!"

"Not now Ino," Sakura said, grabbing the girl's pigtail and holding her back. "He's had a rough couple days, and some calm rest is definitely in order."

"Aww... no cuddling?" Ino asked plaintively.

"Nope, not even from me," Sakura replied, immune to Ino's pleading, and not too happy about denying herself as well.

"No snuggling?" Ino pressed.

"Not even a little, and glomping is right out," Sakura replied firmly.

"Damn... Then I demand a double helping of oogling and gossip!" Ino demanded. "You gotta tell me how awesome Sasuke-kun was in his fights! And how hot he looks kicking butt shirtless..."

"But he didn't fight shirtless," Sakura replied, a little nervous since she did in fact see him in such a state.

"Oogling and gossip, Sakura," Ino chided. "Use that big brain of yours and make something up! If I wanted facts I'd just borrow one of your boring old textbooks!"

"Oh... Well in that case, do I have the juiciest story for you!" Sakura began, allowing herself to be dragged off by Ino, who seemed considerably restored by the absence of Gaara and the presence of Sakura and Team Seven.

"Do they always act like that?" Karin asked curiously as she and the rest of the new arrivals headed for the food.

"Nah, they're usually tryin' to rip each other's hair out fighting over who gets Sasuke here," Naruto replied with a shrug.

"They're both annoying," Sasuke stated with finality, his tone illustrating exactly how likely either one winning that date was.

Oblivious to it all, Chouji, Shikamaru and Team Ten's pokemon slumbered at, on and under their table, exhausted after being kept up all night by the justifiably paranoid Ino.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and stared at his bedroom ceiling, grinning at how positively awesome Kirlia was.

He'd spent hours trying to access his own mind through meditation, with Sakura and Kirlia trying to talk him through it, but it wasn't as easy as they made it sound.

But then, such things were as natural to Kirlia as sleep, literally, and Sakura had learned to do it years before while helping Ino practice her Yamanaka techniques, and had recently refreshed her skill as part of her genjutsu visualization training.

However, Sakura's method was calm, meditative, and for lack of a better term: Boring as hell.

Or at least a lot less interesting than watching Sasuke train, which made Naruto want to train, which made the boy far too antsy to just sit quietly.

Eventually, Kirlia just decided to cut to the chase and smacked him in the mind with a metaphorical sack of sleep powder, forcing him into his own mindscape via Hypnosis.

Naruto rolled out of bed, wondering where Kirlia would be, a question answered as she simply materialized in the air above his bed, falling to land on the mattress and bouncing up in a manner he knew for a fact his real bed couldn't manage.

She bounced a few more times, treating the bed as her own personal trampoline as she spun, twirled, and flipped.

Naruto grabbed her out of the air mid somersault, lifting the upside-down pokemon up so he could look her in the eye.

"You're gonna be a real troublemaker now that you evolved, aren't'cha?" He asked wryly.

"_Blame it on the boy who raised me,"_ Kirlia replied, flashing a familiar grin.

"I've created a monster..." Naruto sighed, tucking the child-like pokemon under his arm, not that she stayed there long, teleporting to his shoulders almost immediately.

"_Missing-nin, monsters, and biju beware! Kirlia-zilla is coming for you!"_ She declared, hanging off him like an ape from a skyscraper and swiping at imaginary enemies.

Naruto was almost worried by the fact that he could see these tiny enemies, until he realized that Kirlia could probably alter his mindscape a bit herself.

It would certainly explain how she got so much bounce out of that old bed of his.

Naruto wave the miniature attackers away, mostly tiny dragons and flying pokemon, a pair of really small demon brothers, and one comparably huge iridescent beetle with six wings and a long spike-like tail.

He shrugged, figuring it was just some pokemon he'd never seen before and waved it away too.

Kirlia hopped off his shoulder and landed on the bed, settling without much of a bounce as she pouted at him.

"_You're no fun today,"_ She accused.

"I know, I got a lot on my mind, that's all..." Naruto replied morosely. "But I'll play with you more soon, I promise! Dattebayo!"

"_You better!" _Kirlia replied happily, or at least convincingly enough to fool Naruto.

She was fully aware of how much Naruto had on his mind, and it was part of why she'd tried to distract him, and why she was reluctant to force him into his mind in the first place.

Orochimaru, The Kyuubi, Gaara. Any one of which would be a worry for a jounin, and Naruto had to deal with all three.

And then the purpose of their mental voyage: The Kyuubi's spawn.

"I guess we should just get this over with..." Naruto grumbled, walking out of the room a stride that was halfway between determination and reluctance.

Kirlia followed him to the balcony, where his second prisoner awaited, after Naruto 'pushed' the cage away to make room for them to sit for the duration.

It was somewhat impressive that he had learned to manipulate his mindscape so easily, but it was mostly an exercise of imagination, something the boy had no shortage of.

While this was happening, the small fox-like creature rose from it's pillow-bed and trotted over to the near side of the cage, sitting calmly with it's one long tail twitching occasionally in nervousness.

Naruto sat before the fox kit, arms and legs crossed as he half glared at the young demon.

That Naruto sat on the ground, rather than imagine up a chair, was more habit than anything, but the kit perked up at the implied generosity of the boy coming down to it's level.

"What the heck am I gonna do with you?" Naruto asked after a few moments spent staring at the animal.

"You may do as you wish," the kit replied, lowering it's head in deference to it's current status as prisoner. "But if you were truly asking my opinion, I would dearly like to live."

"I know I should probably be surprised that you can talk... but after the past couple days, I just don't have it in me," Naruto remarked flatly.

"_In this case, you should not,"_ Kirlia disagreed. _"Mind to mind communication bypasses most lingual barriers, so any being with a language can be spoken with in this place."_

"Alright, good to know," Naruto replied, making a mental note to remember that fact, in case he ever needed it. "That just makes things a whole lot easier I guess."

"Tell me what the heck you are and why I should keep you around," Naruto ordered of the kit.

The small fox puffed out it's tiny chest and smiled proudly, revealing fangs that were probably impressive for an animal it's size, though Naruto had only Akamaru to compare it to.

"I am a Youkimon, last born of the Nine-Tailed lord, greatest of the Biju!" It declared boldly, watching for any sign that it's audience was impressed with that fact.

"Yeah... that's probably not the best way to start convincing me that you aren't gonna keep trying to let that damn demon out of his seal," Naruto replied drily, as Kirlia just shook her head in exasperation.

"But it's the truth!" The kit protested. "And I would not approach the seal, even if I could escape this cage. I do not wish to die before I ever live!"

"And that's exactly what you'd say if you were lying," Naruto replied. "For all I know, you can walk up and rip the seal off, now that you're not connected to the big bastard. Why should I trust you any further than I can trust that thing?"

"Because I cannot!" The fox replied emphatically. "The seal will consume any chakra based being that attempts to disrupt it! Not myself nor any other youkimon or even biju could remove it."

"And how the heck do you know that?" Naruto asked suspiciously, not sure if he should believe the thing or not.

"The Kyuubi is wise beyond mortals, and used the time of his imprisonment wisely, learning all he could about your human ways from his jinchuuriki, particularly the first," the fox explained. "The Kyuubi found the practice of fuuinjutsu fascinating, and she taught him much in her life."

"Why the hell would she do that!?" Naruto exclaimed in shock.

"I... do not know," the kit admitted reluctantly. "My initial purpose was to attempt to destroy the seal, so I was given what knowledge the extension that was myself would need, enough to understand the defense built into the seal as our essence was consumed by it, but I do not know why she gave it to her prisoner."

"So you know how to use fuuinjutsu? All cause the big bastard knows it too?" Naruto asked curiously, reconsidering the danger level he might be dealing with.

"Unfortunately, no. Or at least not much," the kit replied. "A being of chakra, like the biju, are limited by the chakra they possess. When I was connected to my creator, I had access to any knowledge he allowed me through the connection, and when it severed and I became me, I... lost what memories I could not hold within my own chakra-mind.

"_That's horrible!"_ Kirlia exclaimed, aghast at such a thought, as any psychic type would be at the loss of their own mind.

Or at least most, Slowpokes probably wouldn't even notice.

"It is the way of our kind," the kit replied. "At least until, unless, I can claim a physical body, my memories are imprinted onto my very essence."

"Besides, the important memories are the last to fade, or so my memories say," the fox added cheerfully.

"And somehow you remember Mito Uzumaki, clear as day, huh?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"Mito Senju," the fox corrected sharply. "She was very important to the Kyuubi, and so she was important to us."

"Mito was an Uzumaki first, like my Mom, an' like me!" Naruto shot back. "An' I don't know about Mito, but I know that furry bastard wanted my mom dead!"

"The Lady of Vines was nothing like that woman!" The fox argued back angrily, baring it's teeth and snarling for the first time.

"What the hell do you know about it?" Naruto demanded.

"I... I know Mito was a light in the darkness, and that the Second was... not..." the kit replied, sounding confused by the imperfect impulses in itself, but still instinctively growling the last word.

"And what about the third, huh? What about me?" Naruto asked, rattling the cage doors to get his prisoner's attention.

The fox kit made a curious sound and cocked it's head in further confusion. "What about you?" It asked simply.

"What's your problem with me!?" Naruto demanded to know. "Why did you and that big furry jerk try to kill me and my friends!?"

"To be free," The kit replied as if it were obvious. "The Kyuubi has been trapped within you and the Second for many years, wouldn't you try to escape if the same were done to you?"

"Not like that, not when it means killing people that didn't do me any harm," Naruto replied fiercely, giving the bars one last rattle and pushing away from them.

"_What are you going to do?"_ Kirlia asked softly.

"About that thing?" Naruto asked, nodding towards the caged and depressed looking kit. "Nothing yet..."

"I can't let the thing go free, can't trust it," Naruto sighed in annoyance "And easy as it'd be, I don't wanna just kill it off, that's just proving that Kyuubi had the right idea to begin with, and it was just trying to do what it's dad wanted... or something..."

"_Wouldn't be right to kill someone for trying to be a good son? ...or daughter..."_ Kirlia remarked, not sure if the chakra fox even had a gender yet.

"Screw this complicated stuff, I'll deal with it later," Naruto decided, putting his foot down firmly. "I'm in a dream world, so I'm gonna do something I always dreamed about doing!"

"_And what would that be?" _Kirlia asked with a fondly tolerant smile. Knowing him, it'd be something silly.

Naruto just grinned and leapt off the edge of his balcony, which Kirlia hurried to, despite knowing he couldn't possibly hurt himself in his own mind.

Looking over, she realized that yes, it was a silly dream, but one Naruto must have had since childhood, for instead of city streets of indeterminate reality, a wall to wall lake of Ichiraku's finest filled the mindscape, upon which floated those locations which Naruto so treasured.

Kirlia just sighed again and sat down to watch her partner's unusual swim.

* * *

Tower: Day 3

The next morning, Team Seven got a rude wake up call, from Kakashi of all people.

Though in this case, morning was a relative term, as the jounin arrived before the sun and demanded an immediate report.

Instead he received two kunai and a pillow for his worries, as well as one shadowclone, who complied sleepily when Kakashi repeated his order.

Kakashi decided not to ask about the swim trunks it wore, or the noodles in his hair, locking it away in the same place he kept other disturbing memories, most of which involved Gai in some manner.

The clone followed orders better than Naruto ever had, and Kakashi grilled it relentlessly for hours, having the clone clarify every detail of the story, though the clone omitted the details regarding his possession by Kyuubi, Kirlia related them telepathically, so that the secret wouldn't be broken by circumstance.

Kakashi then had Sakura and Sasuke, repeat their sides of it, for the sake of completeness.

"You did well," Kakashi admitted reluctantly at the end, not looking away from the seal on Sasuke's neck, which he'd been studying with his active sharingan since Naruto mentioned it.

The Uchiha heir had been forcibly hauled from his bed and sat in a chair, shirtless, while the jounin listened to the report and tried to spot the vital differences between Sasuke's Curse mark and Anko's much older version.

Unfortunately, he was no expert on fuuinjutsu, and the seals seemed to have more differences than similarities, despite their identical appearance when compressed by dormancy.

He knew enough about the Snake Sannin to suspect that the similarity could easily be a snub towards the Hokage and Jiraiya, rather than a necessary part of it's design.

"I would have preferred if you had not confronted an enemy as strong as that... But given the circumstances, escape probably wasn't a viable option, and I'm proud of you all for your actions, with some reservations," Kakashi declared.

"Sakura, it would seem that you and Eevee are finally starting to come into your own," the jounin said cheerfully. "Maybe a bit differently than I expected, but who am I to judge? Just try not to break your own hands breaking somebody's face, okay?"

"But you, Naruto... I understand you want to be the good guy, and really, I can sympathize, but you have to realize that some people cannot be reasoned with. Sometimes it's you or them, and you have to accept that," Kakashi moved on sternly. "In two days you tried it twice, both times against people who could have killed you handily, which could have killed your teammates."

The blonde optimist nodded sadly, accepting the berating as less than his due for his actions... which wasn't to say he would stop, but he would certainly have to be much more careful.

"Luckily Kirlia has more sense about these things, or Orochimaru might have killed you before you knew he'd even attacked," Kakashi continued, not surprised by Naruto's apparent dejection, or fooled that the boy would stop cold turkey.

Naruto cared too much to give up trying to save people, even from themselves. Kakashi just hoped the list of mistakes he'd made over the past couple days would teach him to think ahead a bit better.

"However, Naruto wasn't the only one who messed up," Kakashi continued more neutrally. "Sasuke, you did a wonderful job protecting your teammates, and considering the circumstances, I can only say that you made the right choice to do so, however, you committed one of the biggest offenses among the Uchiha: A ninja must never betray his own allies."

"I did no such thing!" Sasuke protested, with Sakura chiming in her support instantly.

"You copied Naruto's jutsu without permission or recompense, and trained with it, to admittedly impressive results, and unless I miss my guess, the fact that it is the one true combat jutsu he owns hadn't crossed your mind," Kakashi stated firmly.

Sasuke bit back his retort, a claim he knew wouldn't go over well with Kakashi: That it was his biological right to copy whatever jutsu he wanted from whoever he could.

"The Uchiha had a long history of stealing jutsu from enemy and ally alike, and it is part of why they were mistrusted by some of the other clans," Kakashi said. "Why else do you think the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clans, among others, put so much effort into making their techniques unstealable?"

Sasuke seemed taken aback by that, the fact that his clan would blatantly do something... that he had already done... and hadn't really thought anything of it.

"I admit your doing so benefited the team overall, but it's the sort of thing that can divide a team if it happens too often. I expect you to make up for it somehow, and I expect you to consider who you copy jutsu from in the future, and more importantly, how you use them," Kakashi stated with finality.

"And you never copied a jutsu from an ally?" Sasuke accused bitterly.

"Oh, I have, it's impossible to avoid if you're sparring seriously and have the sharingan," Kakashi replied smoothly. "I actually have a log of every jutsu I know, and who I copied it from. If I use a technique that I copied from an ally, I reimburse them either in jutsu or cash when I can."

"You're kidding," Sasuke replied, surprised by the claim.

"Not in the least. How do you think I got my reputation as 'The man who copied over a thousand jutsu'? Some bastard stole my old log, that's how..." Kakashi claimed grumpily. " I had to write the thing out again from memory... well, sharingan memory, but still it was a lot of writing! Thankfully it just had the jutsu names and not how to use them..."

"Actually, I suggest you keep a log like that too, Sasuke," Kakashi suggested. "Not only is it a good idea to repay what you take, but it'll help you remember what jutsu you know, and what they're good for... that tends to get a bit difficult after the two or three hundred mark..."

"I'll... keep that in mind..." Sasuke promised, having never really considered just how many jutsu he would eventually know in a few years.

"It's a good idea to do so, if you want the second coming of the Uchiha clan to be even better than the first," Kakashi suggested with a fond eye-smile. "But just remember you don't have to worry about jutsu you steal from an enemy ninja, fair game and all that."

"So... what'cha gonna give me pay me back for my Gale Palm, huh?" Naruto asked eagerly. "I wanna new jutsu! Fireballs are so cool!"

"That sounds fair, it is my standard practice," Kakashi agreed. "And it leaves everyone stronger in the end, which can only benefit the village as a whole... Gale Palm is a C-rank jutsu, so the trade should be the same rank."

"Ooh, what about the big fireball one!" Naruto said eagerly, hoping to see how big a blast he could make with it, given his much larger chakra reserves.

Girls liked explosions too right? He could easily show Sasuke up like that, no contest!

"No." Sasuke said firmly. The only ones he would be willing to give that jutsu to would be his own children someday, and he would watch with pride the day they could finally do it... All his children, not just the first.

"Why not? Kakashi-sensei said you should-" Naruto started to protest, more than a little whine in his voice as he did so, but Kirlia and Kakashi both stopped him with silent signals.

"I understand, and there's no immediate rush, right?" Kakashi said calmly. "None of you know many jutsu yet, so we'll figure out how to handle it before the finals."

"But the forest is over in a few days!" Naruto complained.

"And the finals are a month and a few days away," Kakashi agreed calmly. "You didn't think they'd go from a test like this to a full scale tournament in a couple hours, did you?"

"But putting that behind us, we have a more important issue to address: This thing," Kakashi said, sliding his headband back down and tapping the back of Sasuke's neck.

"Can you get rid of it Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked emphatically.

"Well... no," he replied grumpily. "Fuuinjutsu is a lot more complicated than ninjutsu, and I'm no expert on the subject. Our best bet would be Jiraiya of the Sannin, which is why I memorized the seal."

"I intend write out a copy of it's uncompressed form for the Sandaime, and another to send Jiraiya, so that hopefully they'll be able to come up with some idea of how to rip this mess out of you..." Kakashi suggested hopefully.

"Dammit," Sasuke growled, annoyed at the delay.

Kakashi stood up and walked over to the training posts, hopping up to sit on the center one, as he always did in their own training field. Almost unconsciously, Team Seven moved over to take up their typical positions on the ground in front of him.

"There is another option... but it comes with it's own drawbacks," Kakashi said seriously.

"While I'm not on the level of Jiraiya, or even the Sandaime, in fuuinjutsu, I can hum a few bars when I need to," he explained. "And when the Sandaime told me to come here, he taught me how to apply a containment seal that would restrain the mark until he or Jiraiya have a better idea of what they need to do."

"And what's the downside?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

"Well... the technique takes some time and a lot of room to prepare, but after that it's a quick activation," Kakashi replied. "A quick and exceedingly painful activation."

"Exactly how painful?" Sakura asked, worried as usual about her more reckless teammates.

"Very." Kakashi said bluntly. "Enough so, that there's no guarantee Sasuke would be able to compete, or even be conscious, if there turns out to be a preliminary round."

"And if he can't compete, he can't continue..." Naruto muttered to himself, sounding supremely displeased by the idea of such a victory by default against his rival.

"Can it wait until after?" Sasuke asked, bitter about the necessity of such a measure.

"Ordinarily... I would say no," Kakashi replied. "But considering your reports, and what I've observed thus far... I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"So here's the offer: For the next few days, I'll be watching you like a hawk. If I determine the curse mark to be a risk, I will drag you down and slap the restricting seal on it, even if it would knock you out til the finals."

"But, if you can continue to keep it under control as well as you have been, it won't be necessary, and you can continue to the end of this round unhindered." Kakashi proposed generously. "Do we have a deal?"

The Curse Sealing fuuinjutsu specifically operated off of the bearer's will to contain whatever it bound, and this would be a perfect test of it's viability.

If Sasuke couldn't keep the curse mark contained with his chance to compete on the line, the Curse Sealing fuuinjutsu would probably fail anyway.

"Deal!" Sasuke agreed instantly.

"I figured you'd say that," Kakashi replied, whipping out his book and settling in comfortably.

"So... now what?" Naruto asked after a longer than expected silence.

"Don't ask me, I'm just keeping an eye on you guys," Kakashi replied dismissively. "I'm not allowed to do anything to help you guys on threat of instant disqualification, and I assure you, Anko will not hesitate."

"So we're still on our own?" Sakura asked, to which Kakashi replied with a hummed affirmative.

"Well screw that, I'm going back to bed," Naruto grumbled, trudging back to his bunk and moving Kirlia's limbs until her disproportionately large sprawl was contained enough for him to climb in.

"If I'm not up by ten, wait longer," Naruto ordered, before yanking the blanket up over his head.

"What a Dobe," Sasuke grumbled.

"So... you wanna go get some breakfast?" Sakura suggested hopefully.

"Dawn's still hours away," Sasuke replied. "I'm going back to bed too."

"But you just called Naruto a Dobe for doing the same thing!" Sakura protested.

"Yeah, but just because he's stupid, doesn't mean he's wrong," Sasuke declared simply.

"...Boys," Sakura muttered in exasperation, before making her own way back to bed.

Kakashi chuckled silently at the exchange, and wondered at the fourth genin in the room, who had only reacted to his initial appearance with a pillow, two if he counted the one she dragged over her head to shut out the noise.

Not that he missed the fact that she'd been listening avidly, despite her feigned sleep, but she earned a little tolerance, if only because of her medical knowledge helping Sasuke survive.

He didn't miss her fearful stiffening when he mentioned the curse mark either, so he figured it was still a sore subject, literally if the ragged black scar he could see clearly on the arm holding the pillow down was any indication.

The girl was easy to read, so he had little worry about her being able to lie to him.

Like most of the other people she'd met recently, he didn't realize she was also easily misread, as long as she wasn't actually saying much.

* * *

Day 3: Forest of Death

"You're wrong." Kin stated plainly, dismissing Dosu's words completely as she returned to her breakfast ration.

Dosu had staked a claim on the first good place he had found, a hollowed out and burn-scarred tree, unaware that it was actually the place where their illustrious leader had fought Sasuke.

"Yeah man, I know you're like... really smart and all, but you gotta be overthinking this," Zaku agreed, crossing his arms and nodding sagely.

Dosu resisted the urge to sigh. He had expected this very response when he started explaining his theory to them, and as usual, he was right.

He just knew they would resist his idea that Orochimaru sent them here as a test of the Uchiha's skill, particularly since it meant they'd been sent to die.

"Admittedly, that is possible," Dosu allowed. "But it does explain a number of things, including their claim of meeting Orochimaru himself."

"Yeah, but it still doesn't explain why Orochimaru-sama would do it," Kin argued. "I mean, fine, if you're right and he makes us fight, one of two things happen..."

"First: we win and Sasuke dies, which is a waste of a perfectly good sealing, or second: we lose and probably die, which means Orochimaru-sama loses his best genin team."

"Either way, Orochimaru-sama and Sound loses," Kin finished, confident in her logic.

"We are soldiers for Sound," Dosu replied plainly. "It is well within our leader's prerogative to send us to our deaths if it serves his purposes or profits the village. I have little doubt that a marked Uchiha would be more valuable than any number of mere genin, including ourselves."

Kin frowned and bit her ration bar savagely. What could she really say to deny a plain and obvious fact?

"Alright, what if we're lookin' at it all the wrong way?" Zaku proposed after a long and uncomfortable silence. "We figured that it wasn't really the boss they met, and I still think that. Why would he just leave the bastard to rot when he could take him back to our village and make him fight whoever the heck he wants?"

"Genin, chunin, tokubetsu, he'd get a good fight outta anyone in Sound, right? And Orochimaru-sama could make sure the mark doesn't off him by accident."

Dosu nodded, reluctantly conceding that point.

"And we know Orochimaru-sama came from Konoha, and that they trashed a bunch of his labs tryin' to catch him, right?"

"And no ninja would just destroy valuable jutsu scrolls or research notes!" Kin agreed excitedly, seeing where the often ignorant Zaku was going.

"Exactly," the boy smirked. "Those Konoha bastards stole Orochimaru-sama's work, and slapped it on that spoiled Uchiha bastard, and the boss sent us to take revenge for him."

"And you still believe the Orochimaru they fought was one of our own comrades?" Dosu asked drily.

"Damn right," Zaku agreed confidently. "Probably wanted the jerk to know why he was getting axed, and couldn't finish the job."

"That explains everything!" Kin cheered, looking happy with Zaku for once. "Zaku, I take back almost all of the times I called you an idiot!"

Dosu resisted the urge to sigh again.

Orochimaru could put a blade to those two's throats and they would keep singing his praises until the blood in their lungs made it impossible.

The 'Last Uchiha' was too valuable to Konoha to risk applying such a vicious seal in an uncontrolled environment, not that his teammates would likely accept that logic.

But no matter, their stubborn insistence suited his plans just fine.

"Your theory is sound, if a bit assumptive," Dosu relented. "But it does leave us with an easily defined task ahead of us: The extermination of Sasuke Uchiha."

"Who's already at the tower..." Kin muttered sourly, her good mood quashed by the fact that she would apparently fail in her mission.

Dosu nodded confirmation of that, knowing that the Kirlia could easily get them there in a literal flash.

"Then we have to finish this damn forest..." Kin growled, putting her palm to the black eye Sakura had given her, and wondering if she would get a chance to avenge the assault.

"Then I say we go ask our good buddies from Sound for a replacement scroll," Zaku sneered. "With any luck we'll find the bastards who tried stealin' our thunder and screwed our mission!"

"And what if we do find them? You two aren't exactly fit for fighting right now," Dosu pointed out.

"Who said we're gonna fight 'em? I say we just gut the bastards in their sleep or somethin'." Zaku replied. "That's how we shoulda offed that damn Uchiha too."

Dosu glared at the unrepentant backstabber, but relented in the end, both because Kin obviously agreed, and because they were right about one thing: Killing Sasuke Uchiha was all that mattered now.

If the mission was an honest one, he was honor bound to see it to completion.

And if it wasn't?

The death of Orochimaru's favored genin would make for a nice resignation letter.

* * *

"I apologize for making you wait, it was... unusually problematic to find a way to separate from my companions..." Kabuto said quickly, entering the area where Orochimaru's message said he would be waiting.

"I find it difficult to believe that you of all people would have trouble escaping from mere genin," his master replied fondly. "How many villages have you infiltrated and escaped over the years?"

"And how many would welcome me back if I returned?" Kabuto countered, a point Orochimaru conceded with a sly smile and nod.

"Given the diverse tracking techniques possessed by the team I linked up with, it was somewhat trying... refreshingly so, I must admit." Kabuto continued. "I had to arrange a bit of a distraction in order to break away long enough to send this shadowclone."

"Unfortunately, that distraction happened to consist of Sound Team C, and I'm afraid they aren't likely to be continuing in the exams."

"A minor loss, " Orochimaru replied, waving the issue away carelessly."I trust there is some reason you didn't just eliminate the Konoha team and end their interference?"

Orochimaru wasn't as obsessive about waiting as his old Akatsuki partner, but he had been sitting idle for a couple hours by now.

"Curiosity mostly. I've learned some interesting things from the Hyuuga heir-apparent," the spy replied, stressing the latter half of Hinata's title meaningfully.

"Trouble in the Hyuuga household?" Orochimaru mused, remembering quite well the pretentious posturing of that particular clan, as well as the massive inequities between the primary family and the more numerous branch family.

"Do you believe there might be a way to use this information to benefit ourselves?" The serpent Sannin asked, trusting Kabuto's judgment implicitly.

"Unfortunately not, at least in an immediate sense," Kabuto replied. "The bulk of the conflict seems to be isolated between Hinata herself and the majority of the clan leadership, who consider her to be unworthy of leading, an opinion exacerbated by her hatred of the Caged Bird Seal."

Orochimaru tapped the stump he sat upon idly as he considered the news... it might be worth considering in the future, if only as a means of increasing his village's prestige at the cost of Konoha's... assuming the Leaf village survived..."

But as usual, Kabuto had the right of things: Not immediately useful information.

Though he did make a mental note to demand the capture of a number of branch Hyuuga during the invasion... Breaking the seal would be a valuable investment if successful, and an interesting diversion if nothing else.

"An intriguing situation, but one for later deliberation I suppose..." Orochimaru agreed. "Though I must admit I'm even more impressed with your spying skills if you managed to get a Hyuuga to speak of such matters."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but it's more a fact that she's not like her kin in mannerism," Kabuto admitted with a self-depreciating shrug. "She's rather shy and not particularly good as hiding her thoughts, to say nothing of her reluctance to hurt others..."

"Apparently she's trying to 'improve' and a sympathetic stranger is much less risk to talk to, and more likely to be unbiased in their opinion of her than her actual friends." Kabuto added.

"Particularly when that stranger has had years to practice prying information out of others, hmm?" Orochimaru replied with a chuckle.

"Indeed, though the Inuzuka still doesn't trust me... But that kind of suspicion is normal for their clan," Kabuto remarked a bit sourly.

He wasn't sure of the Aburame's thoughts, but at the very least, that one was being cautious, though Kabuto had managed to get Shino to stop sticking beetles on him by letting Kecleon eat the things.

"But regardless, she's been quite the wellspring of information, particularly in regards to the current political climate within Konoha, and Naruto Uzumaki."

"I've learned a bit about that one myself," Orochimaru remarked drily. "I'm not sure whether I'd prefer to recruit him or sell him to Akatsuki."

"Interfered with your test for Sasuke?" Kabuto asked, not that he'd be surprised if it was true.

"In a sense," Orochimaru replied. "Kyuubi tried to kill us all. I must remember to be more cautious about using hallucinogenics on jinchuuriki in the future."

"Then he really is the jinchuuriki..." Kabuto mumbled, making a mental note to add that fact to his ninja info cards.

"You knew?" Orochimaru asked dangerously.

"Suspected, yes," Kabuto replied, a bit puzzled at the question. "I did say as much in the report I sent you, along with a notation that I could find no official confirmation, and that the boy might be a scapegoat to hide the true jinchuuriki's identity from the public."

"Clever, but not something Sarutobi would do..." Orochimaru disagreed distractedly.

"You didn't even bother reading my report, did you?" Kabuto asked, his voice blending equal parts suspicion and annoyance.

"Of course I did!" Orochimaru protested, looking a bit guilty. "...well, the important parts anyway..."

"So just the parts about Sasuke," Kabuto muttered with a sigh.

"At the risk of sounding like a smudged recording seal, I must again express my concern at your tendency to move on once a given project has reached your rather lax definition of 'good enough'," Kabuto said, polite despite the overall chastising nature of his statement.

It went without saying that polite or not, such a remark courted death, but as a shadowclone he was doomed to nonexistence soon regardless.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes in disdain at the rather familiar argument.

"I hardly think that the considerable strides I've made thus far are cause for concern, Kabuto-kun," he replied dismissively. "There are just so many different fields to pursue, can one blame me for being... distracted... by the potential revelations that come to me almost daily?"

"No..." Kabuto admitted reluctantly. "But I still feel it would be best to complete some of your more critical techniques before relying on them as much as you sometimes do."

"Ah, but Kabuto-kun, I have ever so long to perfect those techniques, all of eternity in fact," Orochimaru replied, though his confidence faltered at the sight of Kabuto's victorious smirk.

"An excellent point, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto replied cheerfully. "Aside from the fact that you have to renew the technique every three years and lose a quarter of that time bedridden during the body's breakdown and your post-transfer recovery."

Orochimaru glowered at his most valuable servant, but couldn't deny the weaknesses of his immortality jutsu.

But then, Kabuto was a perfectionist among perfectionists, who would barely consider using a technique until he had refined it to the pinnacle of it's potential.

Like his automatically active medical jutsu, which had all but dragged him back from the dead more than once.

"And then there's your genetic experiments. Why stop just because of the Mokuton failures? Try using genes that haven't been pulled from a fifty year old corpse. Kimimaro, Karin, Sasuke, hell a bit of blood and you can take your pick from any bloodline in the elemental kingdoms, just pick something that's still fresh!"

Orochimaru leaned forward and set his chin in his palm as the clone's rant continued, apparently venting the frustrations that had been building in Kabuto himself for a number of years.

Rather than be angry or annoyed, Orochimaru was mostly amused at the uncharacteristic lapse in the spy's ironclad self control.

"Or the Curse mark, it has a ten percent survival rate, how is that acceptable? I know standard medical jutsu haven't proven to be a viable method of forcing the assimilation, but there has to be some way. If nothing else, add a regenerative seal like Tsunade's to the mark itself if necessary."

"Just think of how much stronger your village will be with a Sound Ten, or Twenty, or even more, rather than the four viable bearers you have right now."

"And then there's the Edo Tensei, which I know you're banking everything on in this invasion. Have you bothered testing it on anyone strong enough to make a valid test out of it? Or are you planning to summon three Hokage and simply hope they can't overpower the control seals?"

The shadowclone breathed hard as it finished, more evidence of it's agitation than need, since the chakra construct didn't actually possess working lungs.

Orochimaru just smirked as he allowed the clone to regain it's bearing.

Kabuto, the real one, had made these same arguments rather often in the years since becoming his right hand henchman, though the polite boy always delivered them much more diplomatically.

In fact, this was the most animated he had ever seen the boy, even if it was only through an impulsive shadowclone.

It was reassuring in a way, the knowledge that Kabuto was as human as anyone else, and thus was prone to having manipulable faults.

It was always a good idea to have some handle by which to aim one's minions, even those most trusted.

"I was unaware that these matters meant so much to you, Kabuto-kun. It warms my heart to have an ally as concerned about my well being as yourself," Orochimaru replied sympathetically. "And I believe there is a rather simple solution to your concerns..."

Kabuto cocked a curious eyebrow, and Orochimaru smiled in response, his own expression inviting.

"Well, you're unlikely to be needed, or welcome, in this village once the exams are complete," he said. "Who better than yourself to come to the Sound village and oversee the improvements to be made?"

"Full access to my labs, my research, and my... subjects, experimental and otherwise, as well as free reign to experiment as you choose... Though admittedly, I may request your expertise on a number of tasks that have proven difficult for me," Orochimaru added.

"Like Kimimaro's illness..." Kabuto reasoned.

He had advised as best he could on that particular matter, but being a doctor by proxy was far from efficient, especially one as deep undercover as himself.

"I cannot answer for the real me... But I expect he will find your offer most generous, and a welcome relief from this business of spying," the clone answered after some thought.

"I would expect so, after as many years as you've been at it," Orochimaru replied with a laugh.

Before allowing the clone to release itself, Orochimaru had it dispel the bothersome seal from his hand, and the two traded information on the teams in the exams, and what valuable information Kabuto had to share, with Orochimaru making his attentiveness overly obvious.

By the time the clone dispelled, barely a sliver of it's chakra remained to return to Kabuto, but return it did, carrying it's memory with it.

Ever cautious, excessively so on occasion, Kabuto didn't betray the surprise he felt with a single misstep as he filed through the memories.

He held his shock at the clone's bluntness, and his surprise at the generous offer, though even he couldn't fully suppress his pleased smile at finally being offered the chance to plot his own course.

No more Danzo. No more Sasori. No more pretending to be loyal to this Kage or that Daimyo or whomever pulled the strings wherever he happened to be.

And the chance to take Orochimaru-sama's many flawed but powerful techniques and refine them until they reached their ultimate potential... and to profit from them of course.

Every bloodline, his for the taking... And an eternity to learn.

He would be create his own existence, define his own nature, and change it only when the whim struck him, rather when circumstance forced him to.

"What the heck are you grinnin' about?" Kiba asked crankily, a bit creeped out by Kabuto's odd leer.

Least the bastard wasn't looking at Hinata with that expression... deal or no, he'd be in for a beating in that case.

"Nothing much, just a stray memory," Kabuto replied with a more normal smile.

Kiba scoffed and looked away, scowling.

Kabuto grinned to himself and began planning.

He would have a lot to do when he got to Sound.

* * *

Day Four: Forest of Death.

From the start, nothing had gone as planned.

They had caught the freaks from Naka in their genjutsu easily enough, even layering it so that when they noticed and broke the first, two identical genjutsu waited underneath.

The first problem was how quickly they noticed, within minutes of the first application. The second was what they decided to do when they realized they couldn't break the layers faster than their attackers could apply them:

Nothing.

The three just stopped moving, waiting for the aggressors to come to them, occasionally breaking the genjutsu to make sure the unseen assailants were still wasting their chakra on the now-useless technique.

But that was fine. With the idiots just standing around, it was the perfect opportunity to set up a triple strength Rain Dance.

Not only did the immediate soaking not make them miserable or paranoid, their weird kunoichi actually dropped her blindfold and looked around excitedly, almost giddy, which seemed to amuse the other two.

Regardless, even if it didn't bother them, or make the three seek shelter, it was the perfect setting for an ambush by the natives of the Village Hidden in the Rain.

Or at least it was supposed to be.

Oboro had decided to begin the harvest before they ended up wasting any more of their time and chakra, and sunk into the ground, leaving his faithful Marshtomp with his allies and their pokemon.

The opening salvo of mist clones were laughed off, as it became obvious that the kunoichi could somehow tell that they were fake.

With her senses heightened by the near-constant veil over her eyes, the rain itself was her radar.

And thanks to that same ability, the instant Oboro popped so much as a hand out of the ground to attack, the soft pinging of falling water off his kunai gave him away.

Thankfully, she had only enough time to warn her allies before he was hidden once more, with little to gain them but that knowledge that the attack had begun in earnest.

The Rain team fell back to Plan B, with Mubi turning the genjutsu away from what it had been, and towards duplicating the raindrops themselves, surrounding the Naka trio with a nearly solid sheet of water, while Kagari slipped under the earth to join Oboro.

Their pokemon took formation before Mubi, and joined the attack as well, supplying ranged support in a variety of elements.

That at least went as planned, with the constant rain filling the girl's ears and the water fueling the pokemon's efforts.

The three Naka-nin moved into a defensive triangle, squelching through the thickening mud as they moved to avoid the pelting pokemon's attacks.

With senses as well tuned as Kaeru's, for much the same reason, Kagari timed his attack perfectly, rising from the ground between them just as they moved to dodge, and his double-bladed kunai at the largest one's knee hungrily.

But the trio's cloaks were more than a fashion statement, and the attack was foiled by the fine wire mesh that lined the inside of the garment, and the target spun towards him, one large hand swinging unnaturally long.

The Ame ninja quickly released the weapon, falling back under the ground a blink before the dark claws that adorned that hand would have slashed open his face.

"Below." Shugorei said simply voice echoing unnaturally from within the pitch black darkness of his cloak's hood.

"Won't be much use above ground... But let's see if my friends can bring them out to play," the other boy said with relish.

Ao pulled a trio of green stones from his belt pouch and flicked them into the air, running through the seals for his jutsu, catching the bits of malachite beneath his hands as he slammed them into the mud at his feet.

"Summoning Style: Stone-Spined Eel!" He intoned, sensing the reagents as they bored through the earth and found the nearest rock suitable for their manifestations.

Within moments, the Rain ninja knew they weren't alone in the ground.

Kagari was lucky in that he'd had much more experience trusting his gut instinct, and fled for the surface as soon as he sensed one of the summoned beasts approaching.

It was a narrow escape, or rather two narrow escapes, as he surfaced and threw himself away, just before a worm-like creature of stone leapt from the ground behind him, jags of flint grinding as it writhed through the air.

It's glowing green eye was extinguished by the second attack though, as Shugorei's fist swept through the air and shattered the creature, though the attack had been aimed to crush the Rain-nin himself.

Kaeru and Ao converged on the fallen ninja, but a bolt of lightning blasted through the air between them and Kagari, forcing the charging two to recoil.

By the time they recovered, the blindfolded Mist-nin had already regained his feet and taken off into the underbrush, unwilling to risk returning to the underground, where he knew more of those strange beasts hid.

Kaeru darted off after him, ducking, rolling and leaping randomly to avoid the attacks from the covering pokemon, who luckily focused their efforts away from her when they realized that Ao was rushing towards them too.

Oboro burst from the ground behind them with a gasp, having delayed too long trying to identify the threat and nearly paying for it with his life.

The remaining two stoneworms had wrapped around his waist and leg, their spines spinning and twisting, carving furrows through his waterproof suit, as well as the flesh beneath, as they tried unsuccessfully to find purchase in the soupy surface earth and drag their victim back under.

One cracked and squealed as the rain hit it, and Oboro grunted in satisfaction as it released and dove back down to the deeper earth where it might recover.

His victory was short-lived, as a fist lashed out and shattered his rebreather.

Oboro staggered, but before he could fall completely, Shugorei lashed out again, grabbing a fistful of the genin's jumpsuit and dragging him close.

The Naka-nin easily lifted him one-handed, ignoring the second worm as it too dove beneath the ground to escape the stinging rain.

"Where are your scrolls, Collector?" He asked, his voice sounding distant, despite his close proximity.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Oboro slurred in response, subtly palming a kunai and driving it into the Naka-nin's chest.

"Pity," Shugorei replied, his fist driving in once more and silencing the Rain team leader.

He removed the dagger, chucking it away after noting that it had indeed drawn blood, though thankfully his armor of chakra had once again protected him from serious harm.

With an eerie growl he stalked over towards where he could hear more fighting, intent on their goal of success.

* * *

Ao swept off his cloak as he approached the pokemon, launching the sodden thing at them like a net, and using it to shield himself from their predictable attacks.

Two jets of water and a bolt of lightning hit it, but once more the metal reinforcing proved it's value, holding together just long enough to ground the electrical attack.

The Naka-nin cleared the skeletal remains of his cloak with a spinning leap, landing between the defending line of pokemon and the one-eyed Rain ninja with a wakizashi suddenly in each hand. He continued the rotation, slashing one blade low towards the pokemon and the other towards Mubi's chest.

Predictably, Mubi leapt back, but rather than scatter as he expected, Lotad ducked lower and Oboro's Marshtomp set it's legs in the mud firmly and blocked the blade with one arm.

Ao looked at the bleeding pokemon in surprise, which didn't last long, as Chinchou was quick to take advantage of the opening with a blast of electricity, delivered directly into the weapon.

Protected by it's dual nature, Marshtomp laughed as Ao was blown away by the resulting transfer of electricity and heat.

Ao hit the ground rolling, his second wakizashi vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared, until the strange boy managed to put his legs under him and slide to a stand once more, scowling at the cocky pokemon.

"What the hell are you?" Mubi asked, abandoning his genjutsu efforts as he pulled his own weapons.

"I am what I am," Ao replied coldly, running his injured hand through his off-white hair, both to remove some of the gunk caked into it, and to subtly inspect the seal almost invisibly tattooed on the dark blue skin of his palm.

If the delicate design had scarred, the storage seals linked to it would be inaccessible until he repaired the damage.

And considering the number of seals hidden across his naturally indigo skin, that was a significant concern.

Satisfied with the cursory glance, and not permitted much time for even that, Ao called out another pair of wakizashi and crossed them to meet Marshtomp's Take Down attack.

He made a point of always carrying more than he needed of anything that could be safely sealed, since they weighed nothing when stored in that manner.

Ao disengaged from the Water/Ground type, dodging the now expected electrical attack and thrown kunai it tried to set him up for.

But again the team proved their synergy, as vines exploded from the ground in every spot he could have possibly escaped to, binding him tightly the instant he landed.

More vines than a single Lotad could produce.

"Release!" Ao called out, leaping away the second the new genjutsu shattered.

But though the Rain ninja seemed weak individually, their teamwork was nearly flawless, and the real tendrils of Lotad's Vine Whip dragged the Naka-nin back down, sinking him to his thighs in the muck and wrapping him too tight to cut his way free.

Now that he couldn't escape, the pokemon leader raced in again, aiming to finish the battle with one grand Double Edge charge.

And if that didn't do it, the Electro Ball Chincho was preparing certainly would.

But Rain wasn't the only team that could work together, and Shugorei proved this by catching Marshtomp and stopping it cold with a single hand, using the squirming pokemon to intercept the orb of electricity before it hit.

With his other, Shugorei silently yanked Ao from the sucking mud by his leather vest, pulling the still attached Lotad beneath the muck simultaneously.

"I had it handled. They were right where I wanted them," Ao complained as the vines whipped free and retracted, probably because Lotad wanted to free itself more than to restrain his captive.

"Sorry," Shugorei replied, sounding far away. "The other would not talk... We may have broke him."

"May have?" Ao asked drily. Shugorei's raw strength in this form was unmatched among the Naka genin, but it was not without it's costs.

"Has yours talked?" Shugorei asked tonelessly, and Ao rolled his eyes rather than give the obvious answer.

Not bothering to wait for the answer anyway, Shu strode across the small clearing towards Mubi, tossing the squirming Marshtomp away carelessly.

Ao spun on the normally aggressive pokemon, but he needn't have bothered, since it just dove into the mud and made a beeline in it's fallen partner's direction.

"Where are the scrolls you've collected?" Shugorei asked the Rain ninja, walking fearlessly, despite the apparently bad odds against him.

"Here! Just lemme go!" Mubi shrieked, pulling a bundle from his pouch and throwing it over.

Rather than catch the scroll, Shugorei smacked it aside roughly, throwing himself away from it as best he could, expecting yet another trick.

He was right, and the explosive tags plastered around the old scroll and disguised to match the exam's earth scroll detonated with considerable force.

The chakra armor along that arm and his side screeched in protest, burning away in patches, Shugorei growled viciously, pushing back to his feet and charging at the cocky genin with an otherworldly roar.

Chinchou leapt to it's partner's defense, firing water and lightning one after the other, but it did little good, the roiling Dark chakra armor not overly bothered by those elements, and even the damage from the explosion closed quickly, as the jutsu thinned to free enough energy to cover him once more.

Given time, or the right elemental attacks, they could have torn through the chakra armor and into the nearly defenseless ninja beneath, but the field wasn't large, and Shugorei crossed it in a few angry strides, stomping on Chinchou and pressing the fish-like pokemon into the mud in the process.

"I ask only once more: Where. Are. The scrolls?" Shu demanded wrapping the Rain-nin's throat in one clawed hand and lifting him easily.

"W-we hid them! In a tree!" Mubi yelped fearfully, entirely alone except for the two buried pokemon.

"Show me," Shugorei ordered, shifting his hold to the genin's suit, but making no move to release him otherwise.

Mubi hesitated a bit, but soon pointed the way, and Shu walked off in that direction, his steps slow but implacable.

"I'll just find Kaeru then!" Ao called after them grumpily, as he collected his fallen blade and restored it to it's seal.

"Lo-oOoOooo-Tad!" the Water/grass type grunted, finally removing itself from it's muddy trap, a task made much more difficult by it's odd lilypad.

"Fight's over, unless you're looking to get pruned," Ao said when the oblivious pokemon shifted into an aggressive stance.

"Lo?" It asked, looking around until it spotted Chinchou's feelers poking out of it's own muck burrow, and yanked it out with a vine whip, eliciting a yelping cry and reflexive zap from that pokemon.

"Loo..." Lotad moaned as the shock hit it.

"Chin! Chin chin chou!" The other yelled at it.

Lotad only moaned stupidly, and Ao left them, rolling his eyes once again.

* * *

"I knew this was a mistake!" Misumi yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the obviously exhausted Hinata. "It's been two days! Two days! And this stupid Hyuuga still hasn't found us a second Heaven scroll!"

"Hey! It's not her fault the damn things are shielded!" Kiba shouted back, turning aggressively on the lanky bastard. "Be glad she's here or we'd be stuck fighting the scroll-less losers too!"

Akamaru growled in agreement, and Cranidos roared a challenge, bashing it's head against the branch it stood on until the thing gave with a loud snap and the pokemon was forced to hop to a new one.

Hinata, byakugan active as she searched for another team, fidgeted nervously, unable to deny either the accusation or her teammate's assertion.

They had tracked down seven teams so far, only two of which had still possessed scrolls, and one of those had been another Earth scroll.

The problem was that the scrolls were usually well hidden on the team, so she couldn't be certain one was absent until relatively close, and even then, she couldn't tell one Heaven from Earth due to the hefty measure of chakra infusing the paper.

Objectively, the allies were in a near optimal situation, moving from target to target with little searching, only entering combat if the target had a scroll.

Subjectively, it was all quite stressful, particularly for poor Hinata.

The second team they tracked had held the one Heaven scroll they'd captured, and each successive failure had served to increase the friction between the two teams, particularly between Kiba and Kabuto's allies.

And the young Hyuuga was exhausted.

She had never pushed her doujutsu so far or so constantly than she had since entering the forest, and even sitting out the second battle, under protest and at the demand of Kabuto and Shino, she still got little rest.

Not that the rest of them got much more, but she felt obligated to do her best to make sure the alliance succeeded, especially after going against Kiba's judgment on the matter.

"Stop now!" Kabuto shouted forcefully, ending the argument between Misumi and Kiba, which had continued through Hinata's distracted thoughts.

"N-no... They're right," Hinata said as strongly as she could, pushing away from the tree she had been leaning against as she searched. "There's another team a kilometer and a half to the west... We should keep going..."

"Sit down, before you fall down." Kabuto ordered, grabbing her coat by the back and forcing her to obey. "I may be just a medic, but I do have experience dealing with reluctant patients, so don't try me," he added when she tried to rise again.

Hinata obeyed reluctantly, and Kabuto patted her on the head fondly, slipping a genjutsu around her easily, since the girl was too worn out to resist.

"You're gonna regret that," Kiba swore, turning his anger to the medic, which was echoed by his animal allies and Vulpix.

"Doubtful," Kabuto replied calmly, stepping away from the pokemon who'd leapt defensively onto her partner. "She needs sleep, and as the only medically trained person present, I felt obligated to make sure that she gets some. Especially since it's obvious that she's disobeyed orders to sleep the night through and let us handle the watches."

"It is likely that she felt her assistance necessary, since the byakugan is unhindered by darkness," Shino remarked sternly. "However, I concur with your assessment."

"Concur means agree, right? We're agreeing with this guy?" Kiba asked in shock. "Do I gotta remind you that he just knocked Hinata out?"

"'Put her to sleep with Genjutsu,' actually," Kabuto corrected. "Not an uncommon practice when treating stubborn ninja. The hospital keeps a tokubetsu jounin on staff for just that reason."

"Fine, does that mean we can eliminate these losers and get on with the exam now?" Yoroi asked, sounding pleased with that idea.

"No, but it does mean we'll have to take more drastic measures to get our last scroll," Kabuto replied sharply.

"This is your first exam, so I don't expect you to know, but 'Gather item' tests are pretty common for the team combat portion," Kabuto explained.

"Amazing what you _don't_ need to learn when you're _not_ a failure," Yoroi snapped.

"The point is," Kabuto continued, ignoring the jab. "That it's relatively common knowledge for repeat examinees, and some actually prepare for it, which is something you would know if you idiots had listened to me in the first place."

His teammates bristled at the accusation, but didn't deny it, or even protest as Kabuto continued.

"These people are known as Collectors, for obvious reasons. They rush to the turn-in location and set up ambushes to take out as much of the competition as they can."

"I also happen to know that at least one of these teams is in this exam," Kabuto declared confidently. "They're good enough at it that they've practically made a career out of surviving the first two phases and giving their jounin-sensei a longer chance to spy on the host village."

"So how's that gonna help us?" Kiba asked suspiciously.

"Simple," Kabuto said, tossing him the scroll they'd captured. "You take this and your 'injured' teammate, and run for the tower. An already handicapped team is bait they won't be able to resist."

"Their opening attack is always a genjutsu of some sort, so when you feel it hit, wake Hinata and tell her to find these guys," he ordered, retrieving the info cards he had on the Rain team.

They're strong in ambush tactics, but not much else, so if we can force them into an actual fight, they'll be done fast, especially since we outnumber them, and I personally guarantee that they'll have at least one Heaven scroll."

"A reasonably sound plan," Shino replied. "And as we have both scrolls now, one posing relatively little risk to us... Why would you suggest this only now?"

"Because it is a risk," Kabuto replied. "I'm almost certain they will be there, but it's entirely possible that they called it quits early and moved into the tower already."

"Then why give us the scroll?" Shino asked again.

"You're taking point with an incapacitated teammate, who will probably be very cross if she finds out you doublecrossed us at the first opportunity, and none of us trust those two not to leave you three to rot if they have a chance to reach the tower with both scrolls," Kabuto explained, pointing towards his unrepentant teammates.

"Though I hasten to remind them that if I an unable or unwilling to enter the tower under my own power, they still fail, and I have little problem doing as I must to punish them if they refuse to hold to the plan..."

The two made a show of dismissing his threat with bravado, but they understood his true meaning.

Kabuto's orders were Orochimaru's, or might as well be, and disobeying them carried a penalty far worse than a failing score.

Again Shino noted the odd way the two deferred to the apparently less dangerous medic...

"C'mon man, you carry her," Kiba said quietly, unfortunately interrupting the train of Shino's suspicions.

"Me?" Shino repeated, his eyebrows nearly merging with his bushy hairline. If he were any but an Aburame, that question would have been delivered at considerable volume and a stutter or two.

"Yeah, if we're lookin' for a fight, I gotta stay loose, mobile, ya know? You can carry Hinata and still do all your bug stuff, right?" Kiba said, somewhat enthusiastic about the potential battle.

"Yes..." Shino admitted hesitantly... trying to think of a way to word his concerns that wouldn't be horrifyingly embarrassing.

"This isn't about the bugs, is it?" Kiba asked. "You know she's not all weird about 'em."

"Fine..." Shino agreed, giving up on the uncomfortable subject and hoping for the best.

As Kiba settled the girl on his back, that hope died with a quiet sigh of 'Naruto-kun'.

Shino grumbled to himself and moved out, trying to convince the simple minds of his bikochu that No, the pheromones coming from the girl on his back was not a new command, and No she was not his queen, and especially No she did not want to become a hive for them to expand into.

It was a long trip for poor Shino.

* * *

A loud buzz pervaded Matsu's dreams, manifesting in his imaginative slumber as a giant red and white bug.

The bug was concerning, but nothing his faithful Beedrill couldn't handle, Dream-Matsu was confident and so he relaxed into the hot spring he'd been longing for ever since his first fight in this damn forest.

Both confidence and dream shattered with the sound of an explosion, and his tent rocked and collapsed as the support pole Beedrill slept on fell over.

Someone cursed loudly as the thick tarp fell over them all, and with a start, Matsu realized he wasn't in the tent alone anymore.

He ordered his Beedrill to return to it's home and scrambled for the tent's edge, glad for once that he didn't have the money for one of the ones with a floor covering incorporated.

As he slipped under the rustling fabric, his apparent attacker noticed, ducking low and pointing something in his direction.

Matsu shot to his feet and took off for the cover of the trees, hoping that the tent would be strong enough to hold back his attacker for just a bit longer.

"Slicing sound waves!" His attacker shouted, though it was muffled by the tent over him.

The tent was tough, but Zaku wasn't trying to cut it, having learned his own way of dealing with a fallen tent during a particularly frustrating C-rank in the Land of Marshes.

A blunt blast of wind ripped it off him and propelled the tarp through the air until it hit the fleeing ninja like a very heavy net.

Zaku grinned victoriously, stalking towards the re-trapped boy to finish the job, and almost paid for his overconfidence with his life.

Battered by the fall and winds it had been trapped with, and with one wing shredded by one of the tent's anchor lines when it pulled loose, Beedrill leapt at Zaku's exposed back, silent without it's buzzing wings to betray it.

But ever swift and watchful over his reckless partner, Yanma swept to the rescue, intercepting the weaker bug and plowing it into the turf, biting deep and feeding on it's life energy. _(Leech Life)_

Zaku ignored the two, after sending a scathing glare at the failed attacker.

Whether it lived or died was irrelevant now, it should have fled when it's loser of a partner had ordered it to.

The genin on the other hand... Was a disgustingly easy kill once the moron was wrapped in his own tent.

Anyone who could lose that easily, when a simple kawarimi would have saved his ass, didn't deserve to be part of Sound.

It was easy to find the team's scrolls after that, and Zaku was soon back with his team, one of which was now much worse for wear.

Kin was leaning heavily on Dosu, looking very dazed and very beaten up.

One eye was still closed from Sakura's assault, and sickly bruises still covered her face and arms, but that was old news.

Now she had a pronounced limp, as well as an odd twitch in her limbs, and her clothes and skin held patches of char as wisps of smoke trailed off her.

"What the hell happened to you?" Zaku asked, realizing that the blast that messed up his simple assassination had done even worse to her.

"Ever try to kill a Voltorb in it's sleep?" She asked, sounding like she was in exactly as much pain as she looked.

"Damn..." Zaku cursed, somewhat sympathetically.

"Indeed," Dosu agreed sourly. "Now stop gawking and see if they had a first aid kit."

Zaku nodded and scurried off.

"We don't have time for this!" Kin protested, slurring her words a bit as she stumbled away from him and in the direction she thought the tower to be. "We've got less than a day to finish!"

Dosu grabbed the girl and forcefully sat her down in the grass, glaring impressively.

"You have two options: Either you shut up and let me do my job as team leader, or continue and I will carry you to the tower bodily, making sure everyone there knows I had to," he promised. "Especially that pink princess of yours."

"You wouldn't dare!" Kin hissed, jabbing a punch at his face, which fell far short.

"I would, and will, if you threaten the mission for your pride again," Dosu replied. "You need to be able to walk into the tower on your own, a task you can't accomplish if you miss a jump because you can barely see straight."

"I will not fail because of your stubbornness. The Uchiha will die, whether you live to see it or not." Dosu swore sternly.

Kin gulped at the blatant threat, and nodded slightly.

"Good, now lay down and shut up," Dosu ordered. "Try to get some rest."

Kin obeyed without protest, feeling even more miserable as he began cursing himself for letting her have her way when she demanded to be allowed to claim the third kill, despite her injuries.

Thankfully, the feeling didn't last long, as her body's demands for rest crushed what resistance she had left and sent her into a troubled sleep.

In the morning, Dosu ended up carrying her anyway, after applying what limited treatment the two boys had acquired over the years.

If Kin had pushed, had insisted that they should move out immediately and accepted the blow to her pride, or of Dosu had been willing to take the risk of moving her, they might have arrived before the clinic closed, a fact Dosu learned too late.

But that too was something that chunin must know and accept: Sometimes, the right decision is the wrong one to make.

* * *

Day 4: Tower

'How's she doing?" Ao asked somewhat sympathetically, once Shugorei had shut the bathroom door behind him.

"About as well as can be expected, all things considered," he replied, trudging over to fall into his own bunk after wrestling the mattress from Kaeru's into the relatively tiny washroom.

The three had moved as high up in the tower as they could before claiming their room, due to Ao's typical desire to avoid close scrutiny, and the sharp compulsion to avoid everything that Kaeru fell into after one of her episodes.

It was for this reason that the girl had claimed such unusual quarters.

Uncomfortable though the room might be, it had the two things Kaeru wanted now: Solitude, enforced by two locked doors, and an absolute absence of light.

"I wouldn't worry too much, she's a trooper, we'll see the mission to the end," Shugorei continued with confidence, as much for Kaeru's sake as anyone's.

"She doesn't have much choice otherwise," Ao muttered bitterly.

"Yeah... But strongest steel, hottest fire, all that philosophical crap," Shu replied with a wave of his hand.

"A saying which shows your absolute lack of smithing knowledge," Ao remarked, wearing a superior smirk on his dark face.

Shugorei shrugged the taunt away dismissively.

He knew full well that he was the least... diversely skilled among his teammates, and their sensei had always given him hell about it, but the Dark Armor was so damn useful that he'd never needed anything else.

"So, what did you do with those spare scrolls anyway?" Shugorei asked after a bit of companionable silence.

Ao looked up from the retouch job he was doing on his burned palm's seal and grinned mischeviously.

"Well... the prudent decision would have been to destroy them, so that no one else could benefit from our luck or our enemy's skill," He said simply. "But prudence and amusement rarely walk hand in hand, so I decided to make things a bit more interesting, by taking a gamble you could say..."

"Oh? Do tell," Shu replied with an eager expression.

Ao was one of those ninja who wouldn't mind a lot of genin reaching the finals. At least, not so long as they had interesting techniques to show off.

* * *

"This is definitely a trap, no doubt about it," Kabuto mused, inspecting the scroll, which had somehow been sunk deeply into the stone of the tower's wall, right in plain sight next to one of the entrances.

"Gee, you don't say. How smart of you to realize that, especially after I said the same damn thing!" Kiba fired back sarcastically.

"Is it something you've seen before?" Shino asked curiously, ignoring Kiba's angry accusation.

"No, but I expect it means that the team I thought we would encounter finally met their match, apparently to our benefit," Kabuto answered with a slight frown.

"Only if we can get the damn thing out without it blowing up in our faces," Yoroi remarked sourly.

"You figure it out yet, little Hyuuga?" Misumi asked in annoyance. "We ain't got all day."

"Y-yes," Hinata replied, studying the inlaid wall with her dojutsu. The scrolls aren't sealed anymore, and the... the loose end is stuck in the wall somehow," she said, pointing at the spot where the lose end was attached.

"Clever," Kabuto muttered appreciatively. "Someone gets stupidly greedy or desperate enough to just grab one and they'll get disqualified for opening the scroll, while the guys who put them there keep their hands clean..."

"Wonder what happens if someone just shoves a knife in and slices the loose end, is that a disqualification too?" Kiba wondered aloud.

"If there was an explosive tag attached to the scroll, that'd definitely be a disqualification," Misumi replied with grim humor.

"Yeah, let's just be glad they didn't do that and figure out how to get the darn thing out," Kiba replied in annoyance.

Cranidos let out a high pitched roar and charged at the wall, leaping to slam it's rock-hard head into it as close to the scroll as possible, which was still a couple feet short of the high perched item.

Hinata and Kiba both flinched visibly at the sharp retort the impact made, and a bit less so at the thump of the woozy pokemon falling back to the ground, but they were more or less used to the stubborn and aggressive pokemon's antics.

Cranidos had yet to find a tree he didn't want to hit. And not just trees either. Posts, walls, boulders, buildings and just about everything else that might seem designed to not be knocked over had been a target for the rambunctious ram.

Thankfully it had been trained mostly out of it, but much like Kiba himself, it's first recourse to any obstacle was to attack.

Kabuto and his teammates looked on in wonder as the pokemon hopped back to it's feet, ran back further and repeated the attempt, striking the same spot almost exactly and leaving a spiderweb of cracks in the tough stone.

When the pokemon recovered for another attempt, the medic decided to intervene.

"If you don't mind, I might have a faster method... as well as one less likely to knock the thing open when it gets loose," he suggested, walking up the wall to kneel by the scroll, after Kiba agreed to hold his pokemon back.

Cranidos protested of course, looking to the visible pokemon for support.

In Hinata's arms, Vulpix sniffed primly and put her nose in the air, ignoring the crude dinosaur. Misumi's Breloom was apparently more supportive, stretching one of it's elastic arms over and smacking Cranidos on the back with a snickering smile.

Cranidos yelped in pain from the Force Palm fighting move, but found itself unable to strike back due to the paralysis it inflicted.

Kiba and Shino looked at the fungoid pokemon sharply, but didn't recognize the juuken-like paralysis, or any obvious sign of injury.

The two boys positioned themselves squarely between the two pokemon though, an subtle threat that didn't go unseen by Kabuto, who sent a slightly more blatant one towards his supposed teammates.

After the slight scuffle, Kabuto reaffirmed the location of the scroll's attachment to the stone and ran through a few seals, causing his hand to glow bright blue.

The boy then drew a circle on the stone with his fingers and smacked it hard.

Almost immediately, a chunk of rock fell out and to the ground.

"How did you do that?" Hinata asked, picking up the rock and marveling at the cone's smooth edges. She had suspected the boy was going to use some variant of juuken, an act her father would be most displeased to hear about... if she told him, but no version of the gentle fist that she knew of would do this to solid stone.

"Chakra scalpel," Kabuto replied, sounding a bit tense as he repeated the procedure, deepening the opening a bit more, though he had to dig that piece out with a kunai.

"I was unaware that that particular technique could be used in such a manner," Shino observed, noting the new skill, and the only offensive one that he'd seen Kabuto use.

"It's not the sort of thing people talk about," Kabuto replied. "But it is possible. Some people have skin and bone as dense and difficult to cut through as stone afterall, so it would be inconvenient if medics couldn't operate on them when necessary."

Kabuto had been working for about half a minute when Yoroi nudged Misumi and chuckled, slipping a roll of explosive tags to the slightly taller man with a wink.

"We're going to go have a look, make sure no one's around," Yoroi announced unexpectedly, before hopping off, Misumi following him immediately.

The two didn't go too far though, before circling back to 'improve' on the already existing traps at the tower.

A few minutes later, Kabuto had the scroll free and rejoined the group, holding the undamaged item cautiously.

"Two heaven, two earth, two happy teams," Kabuto announced cheerfully. "A most successful alliance, if I do say so myself."

"Are... you okay?" Hinata asked worriedly, looking at the hand he'd used to carve through the stone, or more particularly the fingers, which were bright red and trembling slightly.

"Hmm? Oh, this," Kabuto replied with chagrin. "Just chakra overload. I'll be fine with a little rest."

"If... If you say so..." Hinata replied, ducking her head and murmuring into Vulpix's fur.

"Of course I do, I am a medic afterall," Kabuto replied.

"But I do appreciate the concern," Kabuto said, patting the girl's shoulder comfortingly. "I hope to see you three in the finals, and I'll probably be rooting for you three... Well, you and the other rookies," he added with a wink.

"R-right!" Hinata agreed rapidly. "We'll be rooting for... for you too... um..."

"Unless I'm fighting Naruto-kun, hmm?" Kabuto replied conspiratorialy. "Well, I don't mind. And I won't mind if you don't root for the other two, they're pretty jerkish..."

He sighed in annoyance. "I should probably track them down before they try picking another fight or something."

"You know I'm gonna kick your ass if we fight, right?" Kiba asked as he walked away.

"I expect you to try," Kabuto called back, waving lazily.

"Kiba! Why would you say that? Kabuto-san has been nothing but nice to us," Hinata scolded. "I don't know why you dislike him so much."

"Strong ninja are not nice without reason," Shino replied blandly. "And that one is stronger than he wants us to believe."

"He's only a genin, like us, it's only natural for people to help one another," Hinata disagreed.

"Ordinarily, perhaps," Shino conceded. "But we only passed because he wanted us to, and I would like to know why."

It was only now that Hinata realized that the normally stoic boy seemed rather angry, his words clipped short, and his brow drawn down, though his insects were only now humming, probably due to Shino's attempts to control his emotions while the medic was present.

"W-what's wrong?" Hinata asked nervously.

"We are not made of stone," He said sharply, and even the kind Hinata caught the implication, squeezing Vulpix to her tightly, remembering how quiet and sneaky Kabuto had proven to be over their alliance.

"Assassin..." Kiba growled, his distrust echoed by his animal allies.

"B- but... he's still a K-k-konoha ninja, right?" Hinata argued against the idea.

"Indeed," Shino admitted. "But I would suggest we take care if we encounter him in battle, and it would be best to warn our friends that the clever medic is more than he seems."

"I gotcha," Kiba agreed instantly. Pack above all, and Konoha-nin or not, Kabuto and his slimy teammates weren't even close, at least not compared to his rookie friends.

Hinata nodded her own accord, though she still wanted to believe in Kabuto's sincerity.

But she couldn't deny the possibility that he had let himself appear weak to improve his chances of reaching the finals...

And after six failed attempts, she wasn't sure she could even blame him for the subterfuge.

* * *

Team Eight found the crowded cafeteria easily, led by the instructions of the chunin who had greeted them, as well as Kiba's nose, eagerly seeking out fresh food after days of near-tasteless rations.

Hinata wondered if all the passing teams where there, aside from Kabuto's, who had passed them on the way up, saying he had to update his info cards while his memories were still fresh.

The teasing wink he threw her was a bit unsettling, after Shino's suspicions.

Was he encouraging her? Or hinting that he knew he could kill her whenever he wished...

Assassinations were a fact of life for ninja, though rarely among the ranks of genin, especially one who could dissemble as well as Kabuto.

Pushing the distressing thoughts away, she looked at the room as she followed the boisterous Kiba towards where lunch was set out buffet style, nodding her head in accord with his called greetings to their friends to the academy..

Team Ten sat at the table close to the food, predictable given Chouji's love of the stuff. Shikamaru, Ino, and Sakura sat on the opposite side of the table, facing away from him and looking at the floor with similar expressions of contemplation.

On the other side of a small cleared area, which obviously once held a table, was a blonde girl who's hair was done up in four short, bushy tails, also looking at the floor seriously, while a guy in a black bodysuit scribbled furiously at the table with her.

Why they were so distanced became obvious as Team Eight approached, as the center area was marked off in the design of a large gameboard, and a couple dozen tiny Narutos were standing in for shougi pieces.

One of the miniscule clones, bearing a spoon standard with the kanji for 'Cassia Horse' rushed one bearing a fork standard for 'Silver General', dispelling it and taking it's space at the blonde girl's command.

Shikamaru frowned in annoyance at the victory dance the clone did, waving the claimed fork around before chucking it off to the side of the gameboard.

Hinata drifted away from Kiba and towards the congregation, giggling quietly when the various clones started throwing taunts and threats back and forth, though they held their own positions.

She was met at the table by Eevee, who hopped actively around thrilling at the girl, until Vulpix writhed out of Hinata's arms and the two puppy pokemon took off in a chasing game around the cafeteria.

"May I inquire as to the status of the game?" Shino asked quietly from just behind Hinata, startling the girl out of her distraction.

"Going on an hour now, and I'm not sure if even they know who's winning," Sakura replied softly, so as to not interfere with the players. "I'm pretty impressed, Shikamaru beat me in just a few dozen moves."

"She's good alright, but I'm better," Shikamaru claimed, before starting his next move.

"Big talk from a guy two pieces down," Temari countered, both verbally and in game, instigating a rapid-fire back and forth of moves which the pieces could barely keep ahead of, and which ended with Shikamaru in possession of numerical superiority.

But despite that slight advantage, the game was far from over.

"Most intriguing..." Shino murmured, a glint in his hidden eyes. "I would like to challenge the victor, if they are willing."

"Sure, just as soon as I'm finished with this slacker," Temari replied confidently.

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru muttered under his breath.

"If you'd like, I'll play against you while we wait for these two to finish," Sakura offered

"That would be quite welcome," Shino agreed. "Assuming Naruto-san is willing to indulge us."

"You kidding? It's Naruto," Sakura replied easily, looking up. "Right?"

"You got it," the bright blond called down from the ledge of a nearby window.

Hinata looked up just as a few dozen more Naruto's appeared, standing on the wall surrounding her admired, before shrinking and hopping down to the two prospective competitors.

Shino and Sakura moved to the next set of tables over, shoving another table away and marking out a new gameboard while the tiny clones drew up a new batch of standards with comically large markers, at least compared to their new sizes.

Naruto noticed Hinata staring at him, and he and Kirlia looked down from their perch, sending the girl matched smiles, which caused the little Hyuuga to blush brightly and look away.

When she looked back, the boy and pokemon were back to reading their book, enjoying what little sunlight could come through the undersized and defensively designed window.

Hinata drifted away, taking the time to fill a plate before rejoining her teammates and Sakura, as well as Ino, who had moved to join her old friend, hoping the new game would be more interesting.

"You should go talk to him," Ino advised, quieter than her normally loud self, though not by much.

Hinata flicked her eyes towards Naruto, but he was fully absorbed into the book in his lap, something called 'The Gutsy Ninja', from what a quick flash of her byakugan told her.

"Are you saying that because you want to see them together, or because you want them distracted when the prelims happen?" Sakura asked her oldest friend sharply.

"Can't it be both?" Ino countered boldly. "Admit it, it would be so cute! Ooh, especially if they had to fight each other, it'd be like one of those old soap operas my mom watches!"

"Especially when the rest of the Hyuuga found out," Sakura muttered. "Hiashi doesn't seem like the most... tolerant of fathers."

"Ehh... You're probably right," Ino admitted. "I bet he's got an heirloom naginata or something just for such occasions... I know Daddy's got an old ninjato he re-polished every time I started talking about marrying Sasuke-kun..."

"Glad I don't have to worry about that," Sakura laughed. "What about you, Hinata?"

"I... wouldn't know," Hinata murmured quietly, looking down at her food dejectedly.

"It would be wise to leave this line of questioning," Shino said firmly, possibly glaring at the two gossips through his dark glasses. "Your inquiries are obviously making Hinata-san uncomfortable."

"Y-yeah, sure thing Shino," Sakura said quickly, waving her hands a bit defensively as Ino nodded vigorous agreement. "Let's just get the game started, yeah?"

"An agreeable suggestion," Shino agreed, gesturing politely for the two girls to take the further side, away from where Hinata sat sadly.

The two girls accepted the dismissal with as much grace as they could, knowing that arguing with Shino would be both futile, confusing, and potentially disgusting, if he decided revenge to be needed for whatever they'd done to upset Hinata.

"What's got her down?" Kiba slurred around a mouthful of beef. Apparently the boy hadn't bothered to wait to eat, even though he was carrying three plates.

Neither of his teammates bothered to answer, Hinata distracted by her thoughts and Shino sitting silently and awaiting Sakura's first move, so Kiba shrugged it off and plopped down next to Hinata and set to trying to cheer the girl up between bites.

After giving Akamaru and Cranidos their own chow of course.

Shino and Sakura had finished two games before the more ambitiously played one between Shikamaru and Temari finally came to a close.

Shino had won both, being a bit more used to the kind of logic required, partly due to his experience with his own insect army, but Sakura had improved quite a bit.

Plus, he hadn't minded letting the two girls work together, and Ino was fairly good at spotting the various traps he'd laid for her as the games progressed.

Naruto's clones were just setting up a new pair of games for the players when a green tumbleweed arrived, chased by a familiar pokemon.

"Yosh!" Lee shouted, rolling to his feet as the doors slammed themselves shut behind him. "I knew I would be victorious!"

"Victorious... how?" Kiba asked. "What the heck did you win?"

"Why, my challenge to Neji of course!" Lee declared with fire in his eyes. "I swore that I would beat him to here, and so I have! The sweet taste of victory... Oh Gai-sensei, it truly defies description!"

The genin, and many of the chunin present looked appalled as the boy in green spandex cried joyful tears, hugging his cheering Tyrogue tightly.

"Lee, are you okay?" Tenten called, rushing in with obvious worry on her face.

"Truly I have never been better!" Lee shouted, rushing over to the girl. "I must have set a new record, right? Neji, my unyouthful rival, must surely recognize the power of hard work now!"

"Or the power of hard headedness," Neji mocked from the door, where he stood, looking as angry as ever. "Only you could take pride in falling down a spiral staircase for five floors."

"I dunno... bet it was fun," Naruto replied with a grin and thumbs up to Lee.

"Training is always fun!" Lee agreed with a returning smile and thumb, though Tenten smacked him in the back of the head instantly.

"And what about that could possibly be considered training!?" She asked, angry at the boy for even possibly considering something like that.

Knowing him, he'd start throwing himself down staircases on purpose.

"One must always be ready to mitigate the effects of a fall, accidental or intentional," Lee replied. "It took great skill to not suffer an injury in the process, and with hard work I will eventually be able to fall from any height and be perfectly safe."

Tenten hit him again.

"You do that," Neji decided. "It is an appropriate ambition for a failure such as yourself. Meanwhile, the rest of us who aren't complete losers will simply focus on using stairs in their intended manner."

Neji swept his eyes over the crowd disdainfully, ignoring his pokemon who swaggered boldly behind him.

"...Or perhaps I should say 'I'," He decided disdainfully. "I see nothing but ordained failures in this place."

"You're sayin' some pretty ballsy stuff for a shrimp," Kankuro said, standing up aggressively.

"Only the truth, I assure you," Neji replied with a smirk. "I had wondered why our sensei held us back so long, and now I know... Obviously he knew that the tests would be much simpler this year, how else would so many rookies have made it here?"

"Hey, you're right, all the rookies are here," Tenten realized with a start.

"Not quite..." Neji corrected, turning his gaze to Naruto. "You, the Uchiha is missing. Where is he?"

"Right here. Now get out of my way," Sasuke said, shoving the Hyuuga prodigy forward, and discharging a Suji Jiinto into the small of his back simultaneously, sending the boy to the ground.

The chunin who had been standing guard in the hallway had rushed in when Lee did, hoping the boy wouldn't need help, and Sasuke was willing to wager that the chunin inside would be willing to turn a blind eye, if they did sense his attack on the jerk.

Knowing what Anko's orders on the subject would probably be, as well as Neji's opinion of the career chunin on guard duty, they did just that.

Sasuke stepped over the fallen Hyuuga, walking towards the food without a backward glance, Charmeleon at his side, hissing a breathful of smoke at the vicious Sneasel.

"You! You will pay for that!" Neji stated coldly, once he got his lungs to work properly.

"For what?" Sasuke asked slyly. "Are you saying a loser got the better of you?"

If Neji's glare could kill, all that would have remained of the last loyal Uchiha would have been a bad smell.

"This isn't over, Uchiha," Neji sneered contemptuously, before striding from the room.

"I hope not," Sasuke replied with a smirk.

Sasuke stalked over and grabbed some food for himself, moving over to sit at a table by himself, as usual.

"What?" He asked loudly, when it was obvious that people were staring at him.

"That... was so cool!" Sakura and Ino said, almost simultaneously, a sentiment Temari and Tenten apparently agreed with, albeit reluctantly and silently, if their expressions were to be trusted.

Sasuke sighed and concentrated on his food, trying to ignore the people around him, also as usual.

* * *

Day 5: Tower

The next morning, every team was awakened bright and early by their assigned chunin guards, including the team from Sand, though that particular guard used a clone to deliver the message.

As per the orders delivered, the entire group gathered in front of a padlocked door on the lowest floor of the tower, which a chunin opened, revealing a long stairway leading down below the forest floor.

Karin was surprised to learn that she was welcome to attend as a spectator, but wasn't about to look such a gift-horse in the mouth.

They followed the path silently, not bothering to carry lights, as the walls and ceiling fairly crawled with glowing seals and script, extolling the virtues prized by the Leaf village and listing each of the so called 'Ninja Rules' as the progressed downwards.

After a long walk that actually took the team halfway out of the forest of death, the hallway opened up into a very large room which had formerly been a fallback shelter in case of invasion.

Tobirama Senju had commissioned it built to be nearly indestructible, and sold the idea to the council as their own personal bunker, which to his chagrin was never needed.

The less responsible of the Senju brothers had really hoped to see how the council dealt with having to escape through the Forest of Death, but not enough to actually allow an invasion to make it that far.

When the Chunin Exams were originally proposed to include Training Ground Forty-four, Sarutobi expanded it into an arena. A simple enough matter with the use of Ground and Rock jutsu, and one easily maintained through the same system.

The genin filed into the room, surprised to find the Hokage, their sensei, and the proctor of the first test present, arrayed before a statue in the likeness of Moltres.

Front and center was Anko, tapping her foot and staring at a watch impatiently.

The seven teams arrayed themselves at attention, needing nothing more than the Hokage's presence to assure themselves that this was an important event.

The second the watch hit nine o'clock, Anko looked up with a satisfied smirk.

"Alright maggots, listen up!" She ordered loudly, instantly gaining the attention of the genin who weren't already watching. "The Sandaime is here to explain the third exam to you brats, so pipe down if you know what's good for ya!"

Sarutobi stepped to the front of the aggregation of authority and cleared his throat, fiddling with his pipe a bit as he decided which of the many iterations of this speech he had devised over the many years he would use.

Before he could decide, another chunin ran through the large doors on the other end of the arena, followed by a pair of genin, the larger of which paused conspicuously at the door, letting the heavily injured girl off his back.

"You better have a good explanation for this," Anko said to the chunin as he approached and sketched a salute.

"This team arrived at approximately eight fifty-three," the chunin stated. "As you had already departed for here, I thought it best to hurry them along, since they did arrive on time, if only just."

Anko looked over the trio from Sound critically, before smirking and pointing to Kin.

"You, come here," Anko ordered. "Alone."

Kin, still injured to the point of distress, limped her way to Anko, growling with each step, but not giving any other sign of reluctance.

"You're pretty beat up, sure you wanna continue," Anko asked with more than a little amusement when Kin made it.

"Try to stop me," Kin spat back angrily.

"Bad thing to say to the proctor deciding whether you passed or not," Anko replied with a leering grin. "But I like your spunk. You three can stay, fall in and listen up!"

The three did, and the Hokage made his speech, revealing the exam's role as a war-by-proxy designed to preserve life and peace in the Elemental Kingdoms.

Not that he denied the very real chances of death for the contestants.

As the speech wound to a close, another ninja stepped forward, coughing a bit for more than simple attention, and requested permission to speak.

The man introduced himself as Hayate Gekko, and announced that the preliminaries would be necessary, and occurring immediately.

Few of those present were surprised, having warned by or overheard about from Team Seven.

* * *

And there we are, the end of Chapter 13.

To those curious and wanting a list, the Teams progressing to the Prelims are: Seven, Eight, Ten, Gai, Kabuto's, Sand, Naka, Sound. And I reiterate, the preliminary matches will indeed be changed up. I keep getting suggestions that the Neji/Hinata battle should happen, but seriously, how many times has that been rehashed on this site? The trouble between them will get cleared up, but not now, or even very soon.

* * *

A summary of the abilities of the Naka team:

Shugorei: Dark Armor. This is basically an elementally aligned version of a jinchuuriki cloak, albeit using only his own chakra. He can manipulate it at the time of activation to gain various effects, or while it is active through the use of a particular jutsu, which consumes some of the chakra maintaining it. If he runs out of chakra, it fails and he's down to his squishy self. Other than that one jutsu, Shu cannot use any jutsu at all while the cloak is active, and without it he is essentially powerless. He is based on the Synchronist Summoner from Pathfinder (often called D&D 3.75).

Ao: Dark blue skin and white hair, the least human looking of the three. His skills focus on Fuuinjutsu, summoning, and fire ninjutsu, with a smattering of lesser skills to support them. He is an Earth/Fire element, and his family's ultimate goal is to acquire the various elemental summoning scrolls, of which they possess five at present. Ao tends to play with his opponents, or lengthen battles when he can, in hopes of observing new techniques that he can duplicate for his own use. He is based on the Mage class from Everquest, specifically the Tier'dal (Dark Elves). (For the record, his appearance is odd, but not much more so than Zetsu, Kisame, or any number of others, so I decided to keep it.)

Kaeru: An albino who's appearance is based on Rei Ayanami. She is based on a blend of Juugo, Nightbane, and a variant lycanthrope. She's a sub-par ninja, more due to inclination than lack of skill. Her most dangerous trait is her second persona, which can be brought our by sunlight, pain or extreme stress. Due to the nature of her second self, this situation is discouraged by the presence of rain or extreme cold. Also due to this being's nature, she is decidedly difficult to kill.

* * *

Review Response: Which I'm sure I'll miss some... a ton of reviews for chapter 12, but I hope I don't miss any that people were looking forward to responses to...

Guest: I'm glad you like how Sarutobi was depicted. I'm rather fond of the old man myself, and am somewhat torn as to how to proceed with him in the future. I am a bit excited with the plans I have for him though, and I hope I do him justice.

Cookies nom nom: Most of the pokemon will evolve at least for the first time prior to timeskip, though I have at least one planned to be 'offscreen' during that time, I may change my mind before it happens. I hope to have all the rookies with their final evolutions by the time Pein's invasion would be happening in cannon.

Unknown: As to which partner will appear first: Kushina's Gyarados will appear first physically, but Alakazam will have the first overall appearance, if that makes sense. Naruto will also eventually go Tailed form, but I'm not sure when yet, since he and Kyuubi aren't exactly getting along.

Guest: I've addressed the question of Naru/Hina many times, but I will say that i don't consider Karin to be an option for a relationship. Biologically, it would be possible, since their actual blood relationship is so distant, but it would be kinda weird.

I'm sure that I missed some, but I'll end it here, if I missed something, I apologize most thoroughly.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed,

-Mhyrloc


	14. Getting the Brawl Rolling

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

* * *

As soon as the coughing ninja finished explaining the decidedly simple rules of their newest challenge, a panel opened in the wall behind the Hokage's congregation.

Framed, from the genin's perspective, by the outstretched wings of the bird pokemon statue, was a huge screen, the largest most of the genin present had ever seen actually.

"The con-cough-testants for each round will be decided at random, -coughcough- and displayed on this monitor," Hayate explained with some effort. "All -cough- combatants except the first to compete should move into the balcony areas,-cough- which I advise all competitors to avoid damaging, on threat of disqual-cough-ification."

Immediately, one of the Naka contingent brought his hands together, intent on readying his signature jutsu before having to fight anyone.

"First match... Rock Lee and Tyrogue of Konoha, versus Shugorei of Naka... I must also warn you all, attempts to prepare jutsu for use against opponents prior to the start of the match is severely frowned upon," Hayate said, glaring mightily at the foreign ninja... before letting loose with a wracking cough, made worse by his efforts to hold them in during his announcement and stern admonishment.

"Well... shit." Shugorei responded emphatically.

Ao laughed enthusiastically, and a bit cruelly at his teammate's misfortune, before clapping the boy on the back and offering Kaeru a guiding arm to the viewing area, where their temporary teacher was cackling himself.

Despite his protests when they interfered with his fun, Benge never really had a problem with other people getting the unfair end of a rule, especially one of his snot-nosed supposed-students.

"Good luck!" Kaeru called kindly to Shu as Ao escorted her away.

"You could have slipped me something..." Shugorei muttered darkly, after a quick search revealed that Ao hadn't snuck one of his ever-present blades to him.

"So what. Doesn't matter." He said boldly, psyching himself up. "I can take this, I can handle anything these br-YAH!"

Shugorei yelped in surprise as his vision was suddenly filled by a wall of green, black, and weird.

"I am Rock Lee, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!" His apparent opponent declared, holding his hand out invitingly. "It is truly our greatest luck to have the first match, and I hope it shall be a youthful display so magnificent that it inspires all those that follow to match it's brilliant flames!"

"Um... okay. Brilliance, fire, youth... I think I got it... Rock Lee, right?" Shugorei repeated in obvious confusion as he accepted the offered handshake.

He then was occupied with trying not to wince, or be yanked off his feet, by the overly enthusiastic arm pumping the green boy with the funny eyebrows responded with.

"Yosh! I just knew you would agree!" Lee practically yelled. "I hope to truly demonstrate the value of hard work and honest effort against you!"

"You tell him Lee!" A not-so-anonymous voice called from their audience.

"I just did Gai-sensei!" Lee replied exuberantly, mercifully releasing Shugorei's hand. "Should I do so again?"

"No!" Hayate interrupted forcefully, sending him into a fresh spasm of coughing. "Dear Arceus, no..." He muttered with what little breath he had while recovering.

"Unless one of you plans to forfeit?" He continued aloud, when he could stand straight again.

"And not even try?" Lee asked in horror. "That is the very height of unyouthfulness! Never would I even consider such a thing!"

"Then take your place so we can begin," Hayate replied with a sigh, and longing look towards his Weezing on the dais, floating next to a cat-masked Anbu, and her Liepard.

Lee was back in his starting place in a blink, bouncing on the balls of his feet and grinning like a loon.

"Then... Begin!" Hayate shouted, chopping his hand down between the two and leaping away to the safety and comfort of the dais, with his girlfriend and their pokemon.

Hayate was no slouch in the realm of speed, no swordsman could afford to be slow, but even he was surprised at the burst of speed demonstrated by Gai's genin.

Shugorei on the otherhand, wasn't all that impressed.

Really, why would he be, it was a pretty boring ceiling, and the cots here were too hard to be comfortable...

And for some strange reason, his face really hurt!

Lee's opening attack had literally knocked all thought of fighting out of the boy's head.

Thankfully, the airborne appearance of Tyrogue served quite well as a reminder, and the little fighter's falling axe kick missed the Naka genin's rolling form.

Shugorei gained his feet and twisted away from another punch from the now serious looking green boy, as well as another two similar blows.

He got confident enough to attempt a counter, but his weak jab missed by a mile when Lee spun around the attack and slammed a kick into Shugorei's side.

This time, Tyrogue was ready for his opponent's flight, and he leapt up to catch the boy with a spinning kick of his own, firing the dazed Naka-nin back at Lee.

Rather than continue the back-and-forth bashing, Lee actually caught Shugorei, setting him back on his feet, and shaking him frustratedly.

"This is not a youthful battle!" Lee scolded sternly. "We were supposed to have a most youthful contest of strength, remember? I cannot be satisfied with a competition this weak!"

"What the heck are you- Stop shaking me!" Shugorei protested, pushing away from his eager assailant with ease, stumbling back to sway unsteadily, both from the beating and the shaking.

"What's the problem? You're winning right?" Shugorei continued, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to make the room stop spinning.

"But I cannot accept such a victory! It is unyouthful to battle against one who cannot defend himself properly, and you cannot even dodge my attacks, even at my slowest!" Lee crossed his arms petulantly and drew his oversized eyebrows down in a comic glare.

"You promised me a most youthful battle, and I demand satisfaction!" Lee stated firmly.

Shugorei opened one eye to peek at the boy and was surprised at the seriousness in his expression, though not quite as much as his team was by the demand.

Gai was certain he'd explained to the boy that victory superseded most other concerns in this exam, and an easy win was still a win... But a youthful challenge was it's own reward... Perhaps the flames of Lee's youth burned more brightly than he'd believed.

"Alright, I admit. I'm... not really good at fighting like this," Shugorei said, gesturing at himself. "But it takes a while to prepare, and it's not really likely that you'll let me, right?"

"If it will make for a more youthful battle, then ready yourself properly!" Lee replied excitedly, waving at his opponent to hurry up.

Gai wasn't the only one in the audience to slap his hand to his face at this offer.

"Is this kid some sort of idiot?" Ao asked scornfully. He had really expected Shu to be beaten by now.

Would serve the one-trick-Ponyta right.

Shu looked over his shoulder at the Tyrogue, which hurriedly waved it's arms to imply that it hadn't planned to attack, before scurrying it's way over to Lee's side, where it stood patiently.

"Okay..." Shu muttered. "Far be it from me to look a gifthorse in the mouth..."

Shugorei removed his cloak and tossed it aside, before bringing his hands together and running though a long string of seals.

At nine seals, the inherent chakra restrictors in his body loosened, flooding his body with energy.

At fifteen, the chakra began expelling visibly from his tenketsu in a barely controlled rush.

At thirty-seven, his chakra darkened, shifting alignment from the natural neutrality of most human chakra towards the purer form used by pokemon.

At fifty-three, the chakra coated him in a shell of writhing energy, and Shugorei began guiding it into the form he felt he would need for a proper battle.

Strength, Speed, Armor, Endurance...

A fist to fist fight was the least he could do, after the boy had been so generous, right? It was the... youthful ting to do, he supposed.

When he finished, nearly a hundred seals in just over a minute, he was coated in a sleek layer of dark energy, which shimmered in the light like smoked glass.

Shugorei looked at Lee, his eyes sparking with new confidence, though they were barely visible behind the dark mask of his new guise.

"I thank you for your generosity," Shu said, his voice once more altered by the armor. "And I offer you information in exchange: Defeat this armor, break it, smash it, if you can... and I will bow to your superiority."

"Then so I shall!" Lee replied enthusiastically, leaping into a repeat of his opening attack, Tyrogue once more following behind and to the side, holding himself in Shu's blind spot, ready to intercept any dodge.

But with the Armor's enhanced reflexes, Shugorei was easily a match for the straightforward attack, and he caught the probing fist, yanking Lee off his feet and spinning the boy into an attack against his partner.

Lee spun one foot into the ground before he would have hit his precious partner, deflecting his momentum just high enough that his like-minded pokemon's own sliding attack was unimpeded. _(Low Kick)_

Shugorei was caught fully by the weak pokemon's Fighting type attack, forcing him to release Lee and fall back with a hiss of pain, as the fractures in the leg of his elemental cloak mended themselves slowly.

"Better?" Shu asked with a confident grin, despite the failure of his first attack, darting in aggressively.

"Indeed it is," Lee agreed, falling into a defensive stance, slapping away one flashing set of claws and spinning away as the second swept in, driving one leg out in a sweeping kick of his own.

Shu hopped the leg, swinging a backhand smack to knock away Tyrogue, who leapt in to attack while he was off balance.

The pokemon flipped backwards in the air, landing in a three point slide, and darting again once more.

Lee and Tyrogue closed simultaneously, firing punches and kicks from wildly divergent angles, keeping Shugorei off balance, though the attacks had little effect when they connected.

Shugorei punched and slashed at the two a few times, eventually connecting with Lee, more through luck than skill, but the blow was solid enough to send the boy tumbling.

With the time that bought, Shu grabbed at Tyrogue, though the diminutive fighter slipped away unhindered.

Shugorei retreated, moving to keep both of his opponents in sight, cursing his lack of a pokemon partner for the first time.

"_There's more than one way to even the odds,"_ He thought as he brought his hands together in a twisting seal. "Elemental Surge: Speed!"

A shimmer of energy swept through his form, consuming almost a quarter of his Armor's mass, but leaving it sleeker and more reactive, just in time to intercept Lee and Tyrogue's opportunistic charges.

Taking advantage of his newly enhanced speed, Shu spun around Lee, slipping under the leaping kick, and slamming a kick of his own into the green genin's back, turning the controlled jump into a reckless fall.

Tyrogue spun the instant Lee was struck, stopping his momentum by slamming one palm into the ground beneath himself, and leaping towards Shugorei with tthe opposite fist cocked for a punch, now glowing bright white. _(Mach Punch)_

Shugorei grinned once more, dodging the dangerous Fighting-type move and snatching Tyrogue by the leg, before spinning and launching the pokemon at Lee.

Lee rotated in midair, taking command of his fall, slapping first one hand, then both feet to the ground, back and battle ready in time to catch Tyrogue by his leading arm and the seat of his shorts, and twisting to send his partner back, still-glowing fist forward at the charging Naka-nin.

Shugorei, expecting that his opponents would be too tangled to mount an effective counter in such a short time, was caught fully in the chest by Tyrogue's attack, and his Dark Armor screeched painfully, as the artificially accelerated Fighting type attack punched through.

Tyrogue, no novice to battle, and willing to grab for whatever openings he could find, threw himself down, but not before grabbing a double fistful of the strange shell his odd opponent was coated with.

Already weakened, two large chunks tore free, beginning to fade into chakra smoke as they disconnected from the person sustaining them, and Tyrogue darted between Shugorei's legs before the larger boy could catch him.

Shu's attempts to pursue and retrieve the chunks of solidified chakra were destroyed when Lee, having rushed in after his pokemon bullet, took advantage of the obvious opening in Shugorei's defenses, pounding in at the boy's chest and face with punches too quick to even see.

Tyrogue cheered his side's advantage and spun back to the battle, launching the two shards away as he did, leaving them to hit, shatter, and dissipate unnoticed.

Easily making the connection between the Dark energy and the obvious efficacy of his Low Kick and Mach Punch, Tyrogue went on the offensive, using the only two Fighting moves in his arsenal with brutal efficiency.

Between Lee's rapid attacks and Tyrogue's type advantage, Shugorei was kept reeling, and his armor could not repair itself fast enough to compensate.

While Shugorei was now fast enough to match Lee's pure speed, the two taijutsu terrors had one advantage he couldn't have prepared for: They had an exceptional amount of experience fighting against an opponent who could see their every move, no matter the angle... And that was a trick the Naka genin couldn't match.

As a result, the attacks made by Lee and Tyrogue, complimentary combinations intended to minimize Neji's ability to dodge or counter, were long leaps above a non-byakugan wielder's ability to even perceive.

Shugorei's calculated counterattacks, or so he would later claim them to be, when Ao accurately accused him of flailing like a beached Magikarp, actually bore fruit when he managed to catch Rock Lee's retreating arm with the clawed hand he put up in a belated block.

The claws slipped over the tough training suit without catching, but the rough bandages were another matter, and Shugorei was quick to take advantage of the chance he found when his claws snagged them.

Shugorei grabbed tight and yanked Lee forward, accepting yet another painfully cracking blow from Tyrogue as he did so, but delivering a right cross full of frustration in recompense.

Lee flew away in a daze, his head and body spinning as the still stuck bandage unraveled from his arm, and Shu turned to the much slower Tyrogue, vengefully kicking the small pokemon across the room.

"Enough of this!" Shugorei declared, slapping his hands together in a series of seals. "Elemental Surge: Armor!"

The Dark chakra swirled around him, reverting to it's natural state and reforming as a skin-tight sheath of pitch black, a dark so deep that it seemed to drink in the color around it.

And devoid of the damage it had previously sustained.

"I know the strength you and your pokemon possess," Shugorei taunted. "Neither you nor your little fighter will be able to pierce this protective barrier. Your loss is now guaranteed!"

He had successfully hidden his concern at just how much of his chakra store the two had managed to pound through in the short time he'd been at their mercy.

Barely more than a tenth of his energy remained, and if they found a way through, he was as good as finished.

Regaining his feet, Lee began re-wrapping his loosened bandage, eyes once more serious, he stared boldly into the blank sheet that covered his opponent's face.

"I have been hearing such things my entire life," Lee admitted with a wry smirk as he finished. "It is my goal to prove those people wrong! I will forge ahead, follow my path to the end, and become the ninja I know I can be!"

Declaration made, he and Tyrogue charged from opposite sides, aiming a pair of perfect punches at their opponent... who didn't even try to dodge.

Not that he'd have had much luck if he had, with his first Elemental Surge's speed now replaced by the increased defense.

But his prediction was proven, and neither blow elicited more than an unpleasant ache, rather than the cracks and fractures that Mach Punch had caused before.

Lee fired off a savage kick, hoping to launch his opponent into the air, as he had so early in the fight, but somehow the attempt failed, Shugorei barely lifting from the impact.

The Naka ninja stepped forward and swung a powerful chop towards the boy, who slipped back from it with a lightning fast dodge, darting back in behind the blow and hammering in with a number of quick jabs before retreating again from Shu's returning backswing.

In the other direction, Tyrogue hammered against Shugorei's legs and back relentlessly, trying to chip away at the enhanced coating futilely, until his target spun a low kick, sending the pokemon flying once again.

Lee dashed over to intercept the pokemon's course, grabbing it from the air and hastily backing away from the charge Shu began immediately after Lee ran off.

The green genin evaded the relatively slow attack, dropping his partner to it's feet and circling back around to attack once more.

This pattern held for a fair while, with Lee and Tyrogue hitting against the Dark Armor uselessly, and Shugorei's slow blows connecting only rarely.

"Lee!" The boy's boisterous sensei called down from above, his expression and tone both stern. "Is this the extent of your youthfulness? Your opponent is fighting with his full might and still you hold back? You shame me with this meager flame! Are you a candle, or a roaring bonfire!?"

Lee actually looked hurt by this accusation, and he took a step towards his teacher, water welling in his eyes as a match to the manly tears flowing down Gai's own face.

"Oh, Gai-sensei!" Lee howled painfully. "I am so, so, sorry! I am doing the best I can without breaking the oaths-"

"I release you from them!" Gai interrupted forcefully, chopping one arm through the air to his side savagely, and bringing his hand back up before him in a fist. "But only for this match! You and your most youthful opponent agreed on a battle of grand magnificence, so how can you possibly live up to that promise with such stringent restrictions!? Now go, my Beautiful Green Beast! Fight, my Precious Genin! And reveal to the world the genius of your hard work!"

"Oh... Gai-sensei, I surely shall!" Lee cried back, joyful that his sensei would be pleased by such a simple, and enjoyable task.

To use his most powerful abilities, in front of everyone no less!

"Attack him you moron!" Ao yelled down angrily from the balcony, a sentiment echoed by their temporary sensei.

"Fair is fair, he's still got thirty-seven seconds," Shugorei called back calmly, willing to allow Lee just as much time to prepare as Lee had permitted him.

"Then I shall not keep you waiting!" Lee replied energetically, dropping to his knees and removing his exceptionally heavy weights, dropping them to the ground, where they hit with a loud crack, breaking the hefty stone floor with their weight.

"Twenty-nine seconds, and I hope that's not all you have..." Shu remarked blandly.

"That was just preparation," Lee replied grimly, crossing his forearms in front of himself. "And this... is my true power!"

"First Gate: Gate of Opening... Release!" Lee intoned powerfully.

"Second Gate: Gate of Healing... Release!" Chakra filled Lee's coils, filling them until the excess bled from his underused tenketsu like wispy tendrils.

"Third Gate: Gate of Life... Release!" Lee's skin turned red, as the blood blowing through his veins increased, and the excessive amounts of chakra flowed more freely, shattering the stones near him simply through the force of his chakra.

"Well... shit," Shu reiterated from earlier, willing to wager he knew how things were about to turn out.

Especially once he saw Tyrogue scurrying for safety near the walls.

"Ready or not... Here I come!" Declared Lee, before the boy simply vanished.

The next he saw of Lee, the boy was crouched in front of him, and he was flying, propelled by the horrendously powerful foot Lee delivered to his chest.

And Shugorei wasn't sure which hurt worse: The blow to his chest, or the shrieks of pain from the armor as it tried to respond to the perfectly sandal-shaped void in it's chestplate.

Tyrogue watched in wonder as his partner slammed the pseudo-Dark-type around through the air, each blow from his mighty fists and feet, coated in his own nearly pure Fighting-type chakra, blasting pieces of armor off the foreign ninja.

Truly Lee was as close to a proper Fighting pokemon as it was possible for a human to become, a state enhanced by the opening of the two mental gates, and the first of the physical, releasing some of the ridiculous limits of Self all humans adhered to.

The beating only went on for a few seconds, but it felt like much longer to the recipient, as the pain from his own injuries and the pain from his mental link to the systematically shattering armor melded together.

By the time the pain faded enough for him to see and feel normally, he was flying through the air, trapped in the surprisingly long length of bandages that Lee wore.

"This is the end," Lee said confidently, but quietly. "I do not wish to harm you more than I have, so I offer you one chance to surrender, if you refuse, then I will have no choice but to complete this attack."

Lee did his best to hide the strain, and pain, that opening the Gates put upon him, with somewhat limited success, but the outcome was a forgone conclusion.

"Then curse me to a fate of unyouthfulness," Shugorei muttered sarcastically. "I forfeit!"

"Winner, Rock Lee!" Hayate announced immediately, as Gai leapt into the arena to catch the plummeting pair safely.

"What a marvelous fight!" Gai exclaimed loudly, whipping off the wrapped bandages and sending the two spiraling back towards the roof.

Lee flipped through the air gracefully, landing on his feet and catching the far less agile Shugorei before the boy fell into a potentially severe injury.

Harming ones opponent after the fight was over would be most unyouthful.

Lee set his opponent back on his feet, where Shugorei swayed dangerously, staggering in three different directions as his much abused balance protested the vicious spinning he'd been sent through.

The green genin then rushed to his mentor, saluting with a wide smile.

"Did you see, Gai-sensei? Did you? Did you?" He asked rapidly.

"Hahaha! Of course I saw, my wonderful student! How could I not see your flames burning so brightly!?" Gai roared, dropping a hand to Lee's shoulder and leaning in. "But do not think you had me fooled, I know you were still holding back!" He added somewhat quietly.

Halfway across the arena, Shugorei stiffened and shot the pair a shocked look, earning a scolding from the medic inspecting him.

That guy could get even stronger!?

"I'm sorry, Gai-sensei!" Lee wailed, crying not so manly tears.

"Do not be!" Gai replied, shaking Lee vigorously. "This battle was but the first of many! There will be ample opportunity to display the full heights of your strength at the finals!"

"And I will do you proud! I will prove to the world that you are the best sensei ever!" Lee declared boldly.

"_And give me one more victory over Kakashi..."_ Gai smirked, sending a look towards his ever-hip rival, who was predictably ignoring them in favor of his book.

"I'm sure you will!" Gai replied. "But for now, you should join your most youthful opponent in the clinic, before the strain of opening so many gates results in more damage than it has already."

"What? I'm fine, really!" Lee objected. "I want to watch the rest of the matches! Neji-kun and the others will be fighting soon, and I must measure my flames against theirs!"

"I understand your enthusiasm," Gai replied seriously. "But you know the strain that even the first gate puts on a body, and you opened three! Trust me my most attentive of students, it is for the best!"

"But... but..."

"Lee... You're coming quite close to acting foolish," Gai replied, tightening his free hand into a fist meaningfully.

"Yes, Gai-sensei," Lee finally surrendered, hanging his head and trudging over to join the medics.

"Sometimes going last is beneficial," Gai said comfortingly, waving his student away. "But rest assured, I will tell you of all the youthful battles to come! So go! Go and get treated, so you will be ready for the intensely youthful month of training to come!"

Shugorei limped ahead of them, escorted by the medic, who had identified a massive number of small fractures in his bones, as well as a fair amount of organ bruising.

He was fairly certain they were more bruise than organ at the moment, but he wasn't about to say that where Ao could hear.

Pride alone was keeping the Naka ninja on his feet, rather than riding a stretcher.

Lee, less injured overall, caught up with him easily, and the two walked together out of the room and into the medical bay built into the side of the former shelter.

"Next time we fight... I wanna see what you can really do," Shugorei said firmly as they separated to enter their treatment rooms. "And you better bet I'll be ready for that trick with the Gates... Damn Fighting types... As bad as Bugs..."

Lee looked after the boy in surprise for a long moment before a wide grim crept across his face.

"He wants to fight again?" Lee said in wonder... Neji never wanted rematches! That must mean...

"Yosh! I have a new rival!"

Gai, back on the balcony, smiled widely, at the marvels of true youth.

Most of the other attendants followed Neji's example of palming their faces.

"Can we just get on with this," Anko asked sourly. "I can feel my brain melting from all this mushy gushy man-child creepiness.

"While not exactly the phrasing I would use, Anko-chan has a point," Sarutobi agreed, smiling slightly at the mild glare he earned from the woman for using that suffix in public. "There are quite a few more fights to go, so it would be prudent to proceed with all due haste."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Hayate responded quickly, coughing a few times as he left the mint-blue miasma of lung soothing mist constantly surrounding his Weezing. _(Pain Split coupled with Haze, and Weezing mixing chemicals inside itself with a medicinal aim rather than extreme toxicity.)_

Yugao's hand brushed his as he walked back onto the arena, an apparent accident, but intentionally comforting for the former Anbu teammates.

Almost immediately upon leaving his partner's effect, the heavy weight in his chest returned, an supposedly terminal affliction that had cost him his position in the secretive ninja force.

It was difficult to live without the support of his pokemon, and the medicinal mist it had learned to produce for his benefit, but it would have been impossible to survive on the missions favored by Anbu while being so easily identifiable.

"Second match... Temari of Suna, versus Chouji Akimichi of Konoha!" Hayate announced strongly, his voice much recovered from the few minutes of rest.

* * *

"Winner: Temari, by a mile," Kankuro muttered approvingly, remembering the rotund boy easily.

"If he can even run that far," Temari smirked in agreement.

Leaving her brothers, one snickering, the other staring blankly into the center of the arena, Temari hopped onto the rail and sprang lightly from it, her huge fan dangling loosely from her hand as Vibrava set it's wings humming merrily on her back, guiding them down to a graceful landing.

* * *

"Oh man, oh man, what am I gonna do!?" Chouji grumbled, munching chips at an impressive pace as his nerves threatened to get the better of him.

"You're going to go down there and give it your best shot," Asuma replied confidently. "And if you win, I'll spring for barbecue for the team. All you can eat even."

"Yeah, we can make it our last meal," Ino added shakily. "I bet that creepy redhead will kill us if you beat her!"

"Not very likely," Shikamaru shot back. "Remember what he said in the cafeteria? I doubt he even cares if either of them passes the exam... and you can be thankful that you got the best of the three."

"How do you mean," Asuma prompted curiously.

"Well, she seems to be the least likely to kill her opponent out of hand," Shikamaru reasoned. "Plus, it's pretty easy to tell what element she favors, and most importantly: I know how she plays shougi,"

"She's a thinker, like me. She'll want time to strategize, so don't give it to her. Hit her hard and fast, and keep her on her heels and you can win."

"You... you really think so?" Chouji asked, still nervous, but bolstered by his best friend's faith.

"I know so, now get down there before you get disqualified," Shikamaru ordered.

"R-right! C'mon Aron, we got a fight to win!" Chouji said loudly, and his pokemon hopped into his arms with a happy call, as the boy jogged down the staircase.

"That was uncharacteristically... motivational of you," Asuma remarked slyly once Chouji was out of earshot.

"Tell me about it," Shikamaru replied drily, crossing his arms on the railing and leaning against it lazily. "Almost too troublesome to do, but it had to be done..."

Asuma cocked an eyebrow at the boy, who's large yawn didn't fool their sensei.

The shrewd look in Shikamaru's eyes was something he'd hoped these tests would inspire.

* * *

"About time you got here. I had started wondering if you were just going to quit and hide behind your teammates again," Temari taunted once Chouji had finally arrived, planting her fan upright defensively before her.

"You wish," Chouji replied, setting Aron on the ground and rotating his arms to loosen the muscles up. "You ain't gonna get a free pass out of this guy."

"If both contestants are ready... Begin!" Hayate announced, chopping his hand down and leaping away.

Chouji charged immediately, leaving his pokemon behind and sweeping a series of heavy punches at the girl, who dodged with contemptuous ease, before spinning into a sidelong chop with her hefty fan.

Chouji moved into the attack and caught the blow on his shoulder, reducing it's effect substantially, and slid forward along it's length, launching a low jab underneath his bracing arm.

Temari spun her fan away in the opposite direction, stabbing it into the ground and pivoting up on top of it, where she stood confidently out of easy reach, back turned, revealing Vibrava in all it's glory.

Chouji stumbled when the pressure disappeared from his blocking arm, and hesitated for a moment when he realized Temari's relatively defenseless stance.

This was more than enough for Vibrava to capitalize on, focusing it's eyes on the tubby boy and igniting a bright glow within them.

As if by magic, a spinning vortex of sand appeared around him, quickly settling around him into a waist-high sand dune, trapping his legs in the heavy dirt. _(Sand Tomb)_

"Too easy!" Temari declared, slapping her hand onto her fan and spinning into a flip, ripping it from the ground and swinging it along with her into a heavy chop.

Chouji's eyes widened in fear and he crossed his arms above him, knowing that it wouldn't be nearly enough protection.

A familiar and comforting weight appeared as Aron ran up the dune, and Chouji's backside, bouncing off his partner's head and onto those crossed arms, lines of bright blue crawling across the lines of it's body, before flaring bright white as they completed. _(Iron Defense)_

The fan slammed into Aron and stopped with a bell-like peal.

Temari withdrew her weapon again and swung in from another angle, which Chouji reacted to by grabbing his pokemon in his large hands and using the impervious pokemon as a living shield.

A decision that Aron seemed perfectly happy with, as it simply stared at the swinging fan in fascination, each ringing impact only increasing it's desire.

A few of these useless exchanges passed before Temari hopped away, grimacing in frustration.

"I didn't think I would need to, but it looks like you'll actually get to see the designs on my fan," she said, not sounding particularly displeased by this fact. "Once you see all three, this match will be over."

"Then I guess I won't look at them," Chouji decided, setting his pokemon down on the sand, where it slid to the bottom, staring at the delicious sounding fan and licking it's lips.

"Ninja Art: Expansion jutsu! Human Bounder!" Chouji declared, bringing his palms together, causing his torso to explode into a sphere, his head, arms and legs seeming little more than stubs, which immediately retracted into the mass, which began to spin wildly, scattering the trapping sand behind him as he charged Temari.

"Whether you want to see them or not, it's still the end!" Temari shouted, whipping the fan forward to reveal the first moon and sending a blast of air at the rotund boy.

Chouji blasted through the weakest attack, barely noticing the momentary resistance, but Temari was older and more experienced than the rookie genin, and leapt into the air, hovering fairy-like thanks to Vibrava as the Akimichi rolled beneath.

He hit the far wall hard, but rather than stop or even be particularly hindered by the impact, he rebounded into the air, on a renewed collision course with the girl's new position.

Smirking, the Suna kunoichi murmuered quietly to her partner, which ceased it's efforts, dropping them lightly to the ground.

"Two!" Temari taunted, revealing the second moon and launching a proportionately stronger wind attack straight up, timing it to intercept her opponent squarely.

His rapid rotation spilled most of the wind away harmlessly, but it connected solidly enough to alter his trajectory, which was the brilliant girl's goal in the first place.

Chouji hit the wall above the heads of Kabuto's team, low enough that his taller teammates ducked with a shared curse, though the medic himself watched intently as the boy bounced up to ricochet off the ceiling and return his aim towards Temari.

"And that's three," Temari said smugly, opening her fan to it's full extension and stepping just out of range from Aron's loping charge in the middle of her swing.

Wind Scythe jutsu!" Temari called boldly, confidently.

Aron's motion barely shifted in response, as it ignored the girl and pokemon it was supposed to be fighting in favor of it's much more satisfying target.

Just as the fan came around, Temari's intention of blasting both pokemon and genin in one powerful Wind Scythe jutsu, Aron chomped onto the lower edge of the delicious sounding chakra conductive metal in it's implacable jaws.

The oblivious and surprisingly heavy pokemon threw off Temari's attack as it's inertia twisted the fan from the girl's grasp, hitting the ground hard and sliding happily away with it's newest treat.

Temari blinked at the pokemon in surprise, a momentary distraction that cost her.

When she returned her attention to the giant ball that was Chouji, bringing her hands together to blast him with a true jutsu as she tried dodge away, Vibrava's wings beating wildly to help pull her from danger, she couldn't see him in the cloud of chakra smoke he'd become.

The only sign of him was the shout that sealed her doom.

"Partial Expansion jutsu: Arm!"

A fist wider than her arm was long flew from the smoke, his extended reach negating her attempted avoidance, as it slammed into her torso, blasting the air from her lungs and launching her backwards.

Wind whistled over Vibrava's frantically flapping wings as it tried futilely to regain control over their unwanted flight until the duo from Suna slammed into the merciless stone of the wall.

Chouji landed on his feet, though he didn't remain there long, stumbling to his knees from a combination of inertia and dizziness.

Gathering his wits, Chouji looked in wonder towards where the girl hung from the wall.

"I... I did it?" He said, more than a little surprised by that fact.

The only argument was from the chips of stone crumbling to the floor around Temari.

"Yeah? Yeah! Chubbies rule!" Chouji shouted elatedly, drinking in the congratulatory cheers from his teammates and friends.

Only Asuma heard the silent weeping of his wallet, but even that couldn't match his pride for his least confident student.

Chouji's celebration ended with a fearful yelp when Temari moved, but it was just the girl falling to the ground with a painful groan.

A sound she repeated when Vibrava twitched free of the deeply fractured stone to land on her, looking seriously battered by it's accidental sandwiching.

Chouji stared at the fallen kunoichi and her twitching partner, suddenly feeling horrible for the harm he had inflicted to her.

He barely heard the announcer declare his victory, only turning to trudge his way up the stairs once the medics arrived to treat the Suna team.

As he moved, he caught sight of Aron, still gnawing happily on the pilfered weapon, a circumstance Chiuji decided he could not allow to continue.

Pulling the fan away with some difficulty, he replaced it with one of the horrendously expensive chakra-metal chewing bars he'd bought Aron with money from his first C-rank, before rushing back over to the medics.

Getting an unpleasant earful of the pair's injuries in the process, before the team noticed him and fell silent.

"Um... can you... see that she gets his back when she wakes up?" Chouji asked nervously, holding out the now-closed fan.

"I could..." The nearest medic admitted after a quick conversation of glances between the identically, and pristinely, garbed healers. "But you do realize that it isn't unusual to invoke a policy of 'To the victor go the spoils', right?"

"No rules against it," another added. "Your pokemon did steal it fair and square."

"Really? ...No! No..." Chouji replied, frugality getting the better of him for the barest moment before his better nature once more rose to the forefront.

"I couldn't take this and her chance to be a chunin both, it wouldn't be right," Chouji said quickly, before he allowed himself too much time to think about how long the metal-cased weapon would feed Aron. "Just... see that she gets it back, okay?"

"You are a more generous man than I, Chouji Akimichi," the spokesman said seriously. "But you have my word."

"Thanks," Chouji said in relief, before rushing off to where his team waited, scooping up his hundred and thirty pound pokemon partner and tucking it securely under one arm easily.

As he jogged his way back to where his team waited, he wondered how he got strong enough to punch someone as hard as he did, eventually deciding he must have been going a lot faster than he thought.

That he'd been carrying Aron around every time his team needed to run over rooftops or on tree branches just wasn't something that occurred to him.

Hayate stood in the center of the arena, coughing occasionally as he waited for Chouji's exit, sharing a speculating look with the Hokage as he did.

Such a gesture as the boy had made in returning the defeated girl's weapon meant little in the competition itself, but it was something that could be turned to the villages benefit, even if the boy didn't make chunin.

It was people like Chouji Akimichi, sent on select missions, that kept the popular opinion of Konoha so much higher than the other villages, and in turn kept profitable mission requests rolling in from the four corners of the Elemental Kingdoms.

* * *

"Match Three: Tenten of Konoha versus Kankuro of Suna!" Hayate announced unnecessarily as soon as Chouji was back up top.

The two competitors had already taken their positions during the wait, Tenten stretching to limber herself up as Kankuro stood silently, staring at the girl with one eye closed, his Golett partner peeking out fearfully from behind the wrapped bundle Kankuro carried.

"Ready?" Hayate asked, looking between the two briefly to assure that neither intended to forfeit. "Begin!"

"Shoulda given up," Kankuro advised, lowering his burden to the ground with a firm thump. "Now I gotta beat you up, or Temari'll never forgi-"

He cut his comment short as Tenten, in a move that many experienced chunin would have had trouble following, whipped out a brace of kunai from her pouch and into the air.

Both eyes wide open now, Kankuro spit out a curse and leapt away, leaving his bundle, his pokemon, and a good bit of his dignity behind.

Make it rain, Skar!" Tenten shouted triumphantly, raising her left hand to the sky, as her right retrieved yet more sharp and shiny things for throwing.

Skarmory appeared with a bolt of silver lightning, wings wrapped tight around itself for a brief moment, before it whipped it's plumage out, spreading it's wings majestically and revealing the bright orb of energy glowing in it's mouth.

In a flash, the orb exploded, sending brilliant bits of energy spinning towards Kankuro and the arena floor like tiny shuriken, causing Golett to scoop up the odd bundle and rush around the arena in a panic, attempting futilely to escape the pursuing attack and inadvertently drawing even more towards itself. _(Swift)_

It didn't seem to realize that the stars that did connect simply burst uselessly against it's spectrally enhanced stone skin. _(Attack fails__ because it's a Ground/Ghost type, but Golett is paranoid because of it's Ability: No Guard wh__ich '__Ensures attacks by or against the Pokémon land.__' ...From a __story perspective, this means it will be an attack magnet of sorts.)_

While the Suna ninja was focused on defending himself from that attack, Tenten sent a singe kunai knifing in underneath his defenses.

But the attack, aimed to strike a painfully debilitating blow to the kidneys, took a turn for the worst as Kankuro twisted to avoid a portion of the Swift attack and accidentally lined himself up for a much more severe injury.

The kunai hit his chest dead center with a solid thunk, burying itself halfway to the hilt and dragging out a breathless cry of pain from the painted genin.

Tenten stepped back, hand still extended from what should have been the match-ending attack, and Skarmory's efforts ceased in tandem with the girl's own inclination.

Kankuro hit the ground hard on his side, rolling to his back and opposite side before frantically stopping his motion.

The boy held himself up on one trembling arm, the slightest failure in his ability to do so poised to end his life as the weight of his own body bisected his heart with her kunai.

Golett stopped it's flight, moving a few steps towards his injured partner worriedly, before stopping, shifting from foot to foot and keening mournfully.

Kankuro, lifted his free hand, using it to pull weakly at the weapon embedded in himself, determination alone allowing him to continue.

_'I missed! I killed him! I missed and I killed him!"_ Tenten's mind berated her, as she moved towards the fallen boy, drawing more kunai as she went.

Just because her opponent was apparently down, it didn't mean she would let herself be caught unprepared.

But, while it was hardly her first kill, far from, it was the first time where her skills had failed her, and might cost an ally his life.

Kankuro's pulling hand dropped limply to the floor, and he turned glassy eyes in her direction.

"I... I..." He began weakly, dark liquid leaking from his lips, easily visible to Tenten from her proximity. "Win!"

In a burst of speed impossible for a person on the verge of death, Kankuro launched himself forward, eerily silent after how loud his pain-filled breathing had rang in the girl's ears.

Tenten threw herself backwards, launching the weapons, which the boy twisted around bonelessly, avoiding all but one, which caught on his hood and ripped it down, revealing a massive mop of bristly brown hair.

She gaped in disgust as the Suna-nin's mouth opened impossibly wide, ejecting a cloud of glistening needles at her from nearly point blank range.

Tenten tried to cover her face with her arms, but it proved unnecessary as Skar dove between her and her assailant, ignoring the toxic needles as they bounced off her shining carapace.

"Skaa! Ri, ri, ri!" The steel bird cried, jabbing in with it's beak repeatedly at the still disguised puppet. _(Fury Attack)_

'Kankuro' slipped back silently, dodging the potentially devastating stabs with an eerie grin on his painted face.

"I ever tell you you're the best?" Tenten asked breathlessly, as she scrambled to the safety of Skarmory's back, protected by her partner's wings.

"Raa!" Skar shrieked proudly.

"Good, but it's worth repeating," Tenten replied, crouching on the pokemon's back and holding tight with chakra using both feet and one hand. "Now let's grab some air!"

Skarmory jumped, sweeping it's wings into a strong down stroke, leaving Tenten apparently vulnerable to another vomited volley of needles.

Tenten smirked at the attack, trusting fully in her partner, who proved that faith well placed, shimmering out of existence right before the attack would have connected, reappearing much higher than before in a blink. _(Agility)_

Skarmory ascended until Tenten could almost touch the ceiling before the girl rose to her feet, confident that her pokemon could easily react to any ranged attack that Kankuro or his pokemon could possibly launch.

Tenten looked down on them, noting once more the strange bundle that the ninja seemed in no hurry to collect, wondering if it was some sort of weapon the boy planned to save unless absolutely necessary.

If so, it would be so much more convenient to keep it sealed in a scroll, she was rather fond of those herself.

"What's wrong, girlie? Too scared to come down and fight me?" The boy called up, making a few taunting gestures to illustrate his opinion.

"Why should I?" Tenten called back, noting the jerkiness of the boy's movements, believing the kunai must have done something, nerve damage maybe, and that the guy was just too darn stubborn to surrender.

She idly wondered why it was that so many boys seemed to think that it was better than kill themselves rather than admit they might be outclassed by a girl.

"I can just pelt you from here until you give up," she added smugly. "And you can't do a thing about it!"

Well, he could probably run up the wall, but she'd bet Skar was faster in flight than he was on his feet.

"Girl, you do not want me to come up there!" Kankuro shouted back angrily.

"I'd like to see you try!" Tenten taunted, flipping a scroll out of her pouch and unwinding it with a grand gesture, spinning it into the air where it unraveled, suspended in the air around her.

"I've got something for ya! Catch this!" Tenten called cockily, all but vanishing into a loud of chakra smoke as she released and launched weapon after weapon towards the ground, accompanied once more by Skarmory's Swift.

With another yelp of fear, Golett took off running, the bundle bouncing overhead as it scurried away from the weapons that curved towards it without any extra effort from Tenten herself.

Kankuro dodged like a hunting spider, shifting and jumping with the same jerky movements Tenten had observed before.

As her metal rain ended, the boy leapt backwards, landing in an awkward looking crouch right next to his Golett, surrounded by wasted weaponry.

"Is it my turn?" He asked, grinning up at her.

"Not yet... Try dodging this!" Tenten fired back, crossing her arms before her, fingers spread wide, glowing lines that the Suna-nin easily recognized trailing to the scattered steel.

"Oh crud... Golett, do it!" Kankuro shouted.

Golett looked from the bundle it carried, to it's puppet-partner, to the blades and bludgeons lifting into the air, geometric shaped eyes igniting with the force of it's inner energy.

This yellow light built to a crescendo, bursting out through the seams around it's arms and legs, until with a loud cry of it's name, the energy flashed outward, passing by the trio before suddenly recoiling, surrounding them with a solid, shimmering sphere of energy. _(Protect)_

Tenten's whipped her arms out wide the instant all the weapons were ready, and the attack hammered in almost faster than the shield could be established, but weapon after weapon slammed uselessly against the barrier, the recoil proving sufficient to snap her crudely devised chakra strings.

"If that's all you got... Then here I come!" Kankuro declared, leaping away from his exhausted partner, knowing that his ace in the hole would be out of commission for days while Golett recovered.

Tenten was mildly impressed that the boy was willing to even attempt a jump that high, but her annoyance at his pokemon crushed that admiration.

Besides, Lee could do it easily, or keep trying until he managed, after pausing to do a few hundred jump-rope sessions using barbed wire to make it a challenge.

Skarmory back-winged suddenly with a screech of feigned surprise, before belatedly jabbing in to spear it's beak at the airborne genin._ (Peck)_

"Gotcha!" Tenten howled, revealing the four foot long Kanabo she'd unsealed from another of her many scrolls.

She swung it in a mighty chop, the iron-studded wood whistling through the air as she brought it down firmly on the boy's shoulder, heralding a sickening crack, like a board snapping.

The blow rattled the boy's frame entirely, the kunai in his chest shaking loose to fall to the floor so far below.

The blade was completely devoid of blood, Tenten realized with a start.

Crow slipped downward in the air a few feet as Kankuro's chakra strings flared, transferring extra support and reinforcing to the puppet for this final exchange.

"Gotcha," Kankuro's voice said through Crow's mouth, pieces of the false face shattering to fall off grotesquely.

Tenten pulled back for another swing, hoping to break the damn thing completely, as Skarmory stopped flapping, dropping like a stone to evade the too-close enemy.

But Crow was too close, and Kankuro too capable, and the puppet's arms darted in lightning quick, two dove towards her arms, wrapping in opposite directions before latching onto her wrists, twisting them painfully until she released the weapon involuntarily.

Another pair of arms ripped through the cloth of Kankuro's outfit, wrapping her middle and winding down her legs, binding them together despite her struggling.

Prisoner secured, the puppet pulled away, and Tenten saw the bundle's wraps exploding outward to reveal the real Kankuro, one hand holding the obviously chakra-infused bandages, the other extended towards her.

Skar shrieked in indignation, arresting her flight and swirling towards the puppet, golden eyes filled with rage, biting at the automaton with her beak, catching it's legs and ripping them clean off with the sound of splintering wood.

Any hope Tenten held for a quick turn in her current fortune was squashed when the legs, just like the puppet's lithe arms encircled the pokemon's head, wrapping the beak multiple times before tying themselves into a knot.

By this point, Tenten was fully reeled in, and she was livid, thrashing as much as her constraints would allow and glaring daggers at the puppeteer.

"Call 'er off," Kankuro ordered when Skarmory tried to attack, swinging Tenten in between himself and the angry metal bird as a living shield.

"And why the hell should I?" Tenten growled, spitting towards her opponent, hoping to at least smudge the cocky bastard's makeup.

"Cause you're beat, and you know it," He replied bluntly, stepping away from the crude projectile. "Pokemon or not, you can't escape, and all it'd take for me to finish this would be a twitch."

He illustrated with a finger motion almost too tiny for even her sharp eyes to catch, but the touch of cold, serrated steel against her stomach was a pointed threat, literally.

Tenten glared at him, tugging on her arms a few more times futilely as her mind raced to find another option, growling in frustration when she couldn't find one.

"Fine... I'm done," she finally announced, sounding more angry than defeated, and Kankuro looked to the proctor for confirmation.

"Winner: Kankuro of Suna!" Hayate declared, appearing between the two via shunshin.

Kankuro released the girl, making certain that the proctor remained between himself and the possibly vengeful girl the entire time, and stalked back to his team.

As he walked, Kankuro called his puppet back to himself, unwinding the legs from their knot the same way he had tied them, with Golett limping alongside, tired but unwilling to leave his friend without protection.

He had just given Baki a proud grin when a wooden foot bounced off the back of his head.

"That's for making me miss, you jerk!" Tenten yelled after him, before hopping to her pokemon's back and flapping back up to their sensei, where Skarmory perched, looking around curiously.

It didn't get to stay with Tenten in the city too often, or around people either. She felt it was too dangerous when a careless bump could lead to lethal lacerations from the razor-winged pokemon.

"You just gonna let that slide?" Kankuro demanded to know of the proctor, sounding more than a little accusatory.

"She asked if she could return it," Hayate replied with a sheepish shrug.

"Sore loser!" Kankuro taunted the girl, who was pointedly not looking at him.

Muttering under his breath about how ungrateful Leaf ninja were, Kankuro collected the fallen piece of his puppet and set about stowing his battered creation for transport.

Had he been more attentive, he might have noticed Gaara's slight smile, but whether it was inspired by the girl's actions or the upcoming match, he wouldn't have known or wondered.

"Fourth match: Naruto Uzumaki Versus Shino Aburame, Both of Konoha!" Hayate announced.

This was a match he was certainly interested in, since it was the first time he would see the Yondaime's supposed heir in action, outside of the boy's many pranks anyway.

It was hard to believe, especially seeing the bright-eyed boy grab his pokemon and leap into the arena with a whoop of excitement. Minato would have never acted so... outlandishly, but Kakashi was the absolute last person who would make up a story like that without being absolutely certain.

By contrast, the boy's opponent was exactly as expected, and the Aburame made his way down the stairs and into position with neither haste nor hesitation.

"Combatant's ready? ...Begin!" Hayate said firmly, vanishing from the arena and appearing next to his girlfriend once again, to find the woman watching the blond with startling intensity.

"Shadowclone jutsu!" Naruto called out, making his most well known handsign and creating a large number of clones, which immediately moved to surround Shino, who simply adjusted his dark glasses and looked around in interest.

"A moment, if I may, Uzumaki-san?" The stoic boy asked in a quiet voice that still managed to travel quite easily.

The Naruto beside Kirlia narrowed his eyes, his face scrunching up into the nearly comical expression he often wore when thinking, as he tried to remember if he'd ever seen Shino try to actually trick someone, the rest of the horde, clone or not Shino couldn't tell, deferred to that one.

"You aren't gonna quit on me, are ya?" Naruto asked cautiously.

Win or not, it wouldn't be nearly awesome enough to pass because his opponent just gave up after seeing one cool jutsu.

"Assuredly not," Shino replied, his nearly flat voice laced with a mild reproof. "I simply have an inquiry... a question, for Kirlia-san."

"I know what 'Inquiry' means," Naruto shot back, grumpily.

"I didn't," one of the clones remarked curiously.

"Me neither," another added.

"I know what it means now!" A third put in.

"Aw, he's just tryin' to look cool,"

"But if he looks cool, so do we, right?"

"Shut up all of you!" The Naruto that Shino had been addressing ordered, his face red from embarrassment at being caught in his, admittedly minor, falsehood.

He did technically know what the word meant when he said it afterall...

Kirlia's giggling certainly wasn't helping matters, at least not anymore than the muttered insults and accusations from his clone army were.

Shino waited a bit for the chatter to fall before clearing his throat pointedly, drawing the group's attention once more.

"My apologies for the misunderstanding," he said with a slight nod, mere formality, but it was habit. "Do I have your permission to ask my question?"

"Ask her," Naruto replied with a carefree shrug. "if she wants to answer, she will. She makes her own decisions you know."

"_And I decided that I want poffins when we get home!" _Kirlia announced, looking forward to the delicious baked treats.

"And ramen," Naruto agreed with a firm nod.

Decision making was a snap when they could easily do both.

"I see," Shino murmured, aware of the exchange only because Kirlia had broadcast it, allowing everyone within range to hear it, just as if she had spoken aloud.

A few members of the audience were surprised by the clear statement, but not overly so, since Telepathy wasn't extraordinarily rare among pokemon.

"Very well, Kirlia-san," Shino continued. "I merely wondered if you would be willing to assist me in testing a hypothesis... How, you ask? Simple..."

Shino locked eyes with the smiling child-like pokemon, confident that his assumption was accurate.

"Tell me what I am feeling."

Kirlia's smile vanished in a blink, and Shino decided that yes, as usual, he was correct.

"Is it as I suspected?" Shino asked with a sly smirk. "Can you not distinguish my own emotions from the hundreds, thousands, of individual beings within this body?"

Kirlia winced as she tried to puzzle through the emotional static within Shino, as the boy cloaked his own presence with a cascading series of orders to his colony.

Hunger, anger, desire, fear, elation, and a dozen other simplified sensations roiled within the boy's tunnel bored epidermis, hiding himself, and his insect's more dangerous intentions.

"_That's not true! I can tell. I can tell everything!"_ Kirlia bluffed, dropping herself into a stance not dissimilar to Naruto's and forming a whip of electricity in one hand.

"That is hardly necessary," Shino said quickly, knowing that if the pokemon attacked, Naruto would quickly follow. "It is essential to understand one's limitations, as well as one's strengths, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, well how likely is it that we're gonna be fighting another Aburame, huh?" Naruto replied angrily. "Seems to me that you're just trying to reveal a flaw so someone else can try taking advantage of it after we kick your ass!"

"The victor is far from certain yet," Shino countered, warily watching the now aggressive clones around him. "But your point has merit... shall I reciprocate by revealing a bit about my own talents?"

A glance to Kirlia revealed that she was concentrating intensely on the heavily clothed boy, trying to pierce the veil of distracting emotions.

"What sorta talents?" Naruto asked, against his better judgment, but willing to buy Kirlia the time she needed, and learn something new in the process.

"We Aburame are experts in understanding the synergistic qualities of pokemon when paired with Humans," Shino explained. "When properly utilized, a ninja and pokemon can become much stronger than their constituent parts, but of course, you of all people would be aware of this, as your chosen jutsu demonstrates well the potential of such multiplicative enhancements to one's inherent strength."

"What you may not be aware of, is that over time, and the passing of many generations, those beings who associate most often with pokemon tend to inherit a degree of their pokemon's qualities. This is most evident in the form of the ninja clans, who are almost universally ninja, and equally often accepted as partners on their first attempts."

"Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Uchiha, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Aburame... These represent the most prestigious and persistent ninja clans within Konoha since the village was founded, and over a century of successful partnering has brought their potential up to levels that the original clan's founders could scarcely imagine."

"But we Aburame have another advantage, one rarely spoken of, though many know it... Our own internal allies gain these same benefits, at a proportionately similar rate..." Shino continued with a smirk. "But of course, an insect's generation is much, much, shorter than a human's"

"Oh yeah, and how does that work out for ya?" Naruto asked, when it became obvious that Shino was waiting for a prompt of some sort.

"Perfectly," Shino replied simply.

All at once the ground around the Aburame boy exploded upwards, as his insects escaped from tunnels burrowed since the very start of the match, the very reason the tactically minded boy delayed the actual combat for as long as he had.

The tiny insects, more a nuisance than threat if taken one by one, swarmed the clones, biting and slashing with the strong burrowing claws they had developed due to Nincada's influence, and for once, Naruto was outnumbered and overwhelmed.

The tiny wounds inflicted by the kikaichu weren't an immediate threat, even to the clones, amounting to little more than a papercut individually, but the sheer number of them that attacked each clone left the Narutos vanishing one after the other, simply increasing the pressure on those remaining.

Shino gestured towards the Naruto he'd been speaking with, and the bulk of the insects split away, circling towards their assigned target hungrily.

Naruto saw blue from the corner of his eye, and looked to Kirlia, who vanished in a blink, teleporting away just as the swarm descended, destroying the clone in moments.

"Kirlia-chan! What the hell!?" The real one shouted, buying himself some bug-free breathing room by blasting a quick Double Gale Palm towards the floor at his feet.

The rapid updraft blew the kikaichu away, and he spent that time creating more clones around himself, all of which fired Gale palms of their own, aiming their winds to create a cyclonic clear spot in the room, encompassing themselves and the original.

Seeking out his adored pokemon, he found her, teleporting from one side of the room to the other, lashing out with whip-like Thunder Waves, and explosive Psyshocks, none of which were all that effective against her oh-so small targets.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for their own attacks against Kirlia, a fact that sparked Naruto's anger intensely.

He didn't realize that the pain from her wounds and her sharp fear in the face of these innumerable odds were radiating across to him though their empathetic connection, pushing him further towards a the righteous rage of a Big Brother standing up for his little sister.

"Is it not obvious, Uzumaki-san?" Shino asked, having not bothered moving from his original position. "Kirlia-san is scared, and with good reason, I must admit. It is common knowledge that Psychic such as herself are rather vulnerable to Bugs."

"Yeah, Poke-bugs!" Naruto fired back, launching a batch of Gale-powered shuriken at the boy, who dissolved into yet more insects upon impact.

"An irrelevant distinction," Shino countered, from immediately behind Naruto, grabbing the boy and launching him from the safety of his wind walls and back into the not so tender affections of his swarm.

Ever efficient, Shino sent the boy careening through one of the clones maintaining the defense, shattering it and leaving the rest vulnerable.

"These insects survive by consuming chakra, in it's pure state, and as they grow it becomes concentrated within themselves, infusing them to such a degree that they match the elemental type of the one to whom they are beholden," Shino explained. "Would you care to guess what my natural affinity is?"

"You are really starting to bug me," Naruto growled, rising to his feet, ignoring the insects swarming all over him and stomping whatever happened to be on the ground between him and Shino as he raced after the boy.

The Aburame's eyebrows lifted in surprise, knowing that the kikaichu perched on his opponent must be biting, and therefore must be draining chakra at a considerable rate... But if Naruto noticed, it wasn't apparent.

Naruto attacked, snarling fiercely as he tried to smash Shino right in his damn sunglasses, but the Aburame was skilled in avoiding such direct combat, and shifted, dodged and blocked as necessary, planning to wait out the boy's dwindling chakra supply.

But even ever patient Shino would have liked to see some hint that the Uzumaki was even bothered by the bugs plastered all over him.

There was a massively bright burst of light as Kirlia finally found a weapon to use against her insect enemies, Flash, the only move in her arsenal that didn't require aiming, though one that did very little to harm in most cases.

But it bought her time, and when she teleported this time, a move that left the kikaichu on her behind, the temporarily blind bugs zeroed in on the one target they could still find via smell: Naruto.

Seeing this, Kirlia smiled once more, Teleporting and Flashing many times in quick succession, trusting her partner to be able to handle things.

Shino was confused, Naruto was annoyed, but when he tried to Gale Palm the damn pests away, Kirlia shouted into his mind to stop, and just give her a little more time.

By this point, Shino could barely recognize Naruto for himself, as so many bugs were crawling and biting him, and every step the blond took crushed more of his precious hive into oblivion.

Only the knowledge that they could not continue for much longer kept him from forfeiting solely to protect his colony as he continued to defend himself in a pure taijutsu exchange.

He was just glad that neither Uzumaki nor Kirlia had access to the wide area devastation abilities that the Uchiha, or his pokemon possessed.

"_Stand still!" _Kirlia said into Naruto's mind, achieving instant obedience, while Shino continued backing away suspiciously.

Kirlia teleported right next to Naruto, close enough that the bugs renewed their attacks against her, but she endured, and would endure long enough.

For Naruto's dreams, she had to.

She crossed her arms before her, calling on a power similar to what she used against that vile snake-man in the forest, and when she threw her arms wide, eyes alight, five glowing walls spun into existence around them, forming a box around the pair, trapping them with the insects. _(Light Screen)_

And trapping the insects with them.

"_Gale Palm, and make it big!"_ Kirlia ordered, wincing as she received bite after bite from the aggressively attacking insects.

"No! Don't!" Shino cried, as close to panicked as anyone had ever seen him, charging forward, hoping to shatter the ninjutsu oriented defense but it was too late, even forfeiture wouldn't have ended the blond's actions this close to the mark.

"Gale Palm!" Naruto shouted, thrusting his hands out blindly, grabbing the wind and sending it whirling around like a caged tornado.

Kirlia gasped at the power and clenched her tiny fists, dedicating all her effort into maintaining the integrity of her Light Screen.

The winds raged within the small box, ripping the kikaichu off of their targets and battering them against the walls, each other, and those very targets themselves, and setting the floor of the arena singing as the swirling air escaped through the only exit available: the bug's own tunnels, injuring yet more as the were blasted from that haven to erupt like geysers from an Entomophobic's nightmares.

Shino connected, his fist easily breaking through the wall he struck, and the Gale Palm was quick to capitalize on this newer, easier route of escape, carrying it's airborne cargo along for the ride, pummeling Shino with the very creatures he had hoped to protect.

The Aburame stumbled back, his ever calm heart freezing as he felt the carapace of one of his allies crack beneath his sandal, and he looked around, shielding his eyes from the continuing wind to see the arena liberally coated with his kikaichu.

"Well, that was fun," Naruto declared, rubbing Kirlia's already more than mussed hair fondly.

The two looked exactly as roughed up as he would have expected, cuts and bites marring their flesh and clothes equally, but with the largest threat handled, they looked more than ready to continue in Shino's objective opinion.

Naruto shifted into a fighting stance, crushing yet more kikaichu carelessly underfoot, and this time, with his insect army so decimated, Kirlia could easily sense the dismay within the stoic boy as the sound seemed to echo in his ears.

"_Wait,"_ She broadcast openly, laying a hand on Naruto's arm. _"Don't move unless you have to..."_

Shino looked at the pokemon, who gazed back calmly.

"...She is correct, Uzumaki-san. I capitulate, you are the victor," Shino said, bowing as formally as he could without moving his feet.

"What? Why? We were just getting to the good part!" Naruto protested, but he too remained still at Kirlia's insistence.

"_He wishes to protect his... precious partners," _Kirlia answered for Shino. _"If we continue fighting, many more of his insects will die, without good cause, since we have proven capable of defeating them, yes?"_

"Again, you are correct," Shino agreed with the slightest hint of gratitude in his voice, though he fairly swelled with the emotion behind his impassive appearance, earning a smile of honest appreciation from the little pokemon.

"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki!" Hayate called from the dais. "...There will be a small delay while the contestant gathers his... artillery."

He would have done the same for Tenten, but ever exuberant Gai had collected her weapons while she calmed her pokemon.

After giving himself a ridiculously short time limit of course.

"You wanna hand?" Naruto asked, looking around curiously as he wondered how exactly he would follow through on the offer without squashing more.

"The offer is appreciated, but unnecessary," Shino replied, sending out a wave of winged kikaichu from his now reduced hive.

The winged female beetles, which he held in reserve as often as possible, worked quickly and efficiently, clearing the immediate vicinity and working their way outwards, collecting any intact beetles and returning them to their biologically bound hive.

The survivors would be fed and restored as much as possible, while those who could not endure would be... recycled.

"Hey, I gotta ask," Naruto said quietly while he watched the bugs do their thing. "Why didn't ya let your pokemon come out and fight? I was really looking forward to seeing what a ninja bug could do!"

Shino grimaced slightly, and looked down, to where Nincada peeked out of his jacket, also wondering at the answer.

"Truthfully, I could not bring myself to do so," Shino began. "Nincada, while much more capable than he was when we were paired, is ill suited to a battle in these circumstances. In soft earth where he can move quickly, his capacity for ambush attacks is considerable, but in this hard stone, where he would be forced to dig tunnels much larger than those used by the kikaichu, he would be sorely restricted..."

"And... I suppose I could not bear it if he were to be trod upon, even accidentally," Shino added quietly.

"Ah... I think I get'cha," Naruto replied sheepishly. With his clones and all, and considering how small the little guy was, that was probably a considerable risk.

"Well, just don't coddle the lil guy too much, you want him to get strong and kick ass with ya, and that won't happen if you don't let 'em fight!" Naruto advised, earning a lifted eyebrow from Shino.

As if he would do something like that... well, intentionally.

"It would probably be wise to leave the arena floor, so that the next match may proceed," Shino replied tonelessly, shelving that worry for the moment.

"Yeah yeah. First stop, my teammates!" Naruto said, as Kirlia latched onto him and Shino and teleported them right up to the balcony.

Hayate looked to Yugao, shrugging slightly. The boy certainly didn't fight like his father, but then why would he, having never met the man.

She returned the shrug, then nodded her head for him to get on with things, and Hayate strode out onto the floor of the arena.

"Is there something about Naruto-kun that bothers you two?" Sarutobi asked pointedly, his voice grandfatherly, but with steel apparent beneath the comforting tone.

"Of course not, Hokage-sama," Yugao replied calmly. "We find the boy to be interesting is all. As you know, Anbu have had a number of run ins with him over the years, and expect him to go far."

All of that was true, she knew better than to even attempt to tell a falsehood to her illustrious leader, and Naruto was notorious among Anbu, who had a rather avaricious eye on the boy, watching to see if his skills were going to improve with time.

"Hmm, so long as that is the extent of it," Sarutobi replied warningly. "It will be a number of years yet, before he is eligible for the kinds of missions you might be thinking of sending him on..."

"Such thoughts hadn't even crossed my mind, Hokage-sama," Yugao answered honestly.

The Yondaime's heir was far too valuable to risk on such missions anyway.

* * *

AN:

End Chapter 14, a fair bit shorter than usual, but a large part of that is my desire to reorient my updates to occurring on the first of the month (approximately). Hopefully I can stick with it this time, hehe.

I intend to finish off the last eight fights in the next chapter, but we'll see if I can hold to that plan or if my tendency to run long rears its head once more.

A few things to note about this chapter:

First, I've changed the way the gates work, in accordance with the origin of Chakra and ninjutsu. A ninja who opens the gates becomes more and more 'pure' from a pokemon's standpoint, and less themselves from a human's, as they progress. At the third gate, they begin to express chakra that is aligned with their natures, which for Gai would be Fighting/Fire. Those are the only two who this is a real factor for at the moment, and possibly long-term too.

However, one major alteration is the Eighth Gate, which in Cannon kills it's user. In this, the Eighth Gate triggers an evolution, turning them into a pokemon of some sort and erasing almost all of who they were before. In a sense, it is still death, but the person can still identify allies, even if they don't remember the person specifically. Not an issue for a long time, but I think it's an interesting bit of potential, and may point it's direction at some point, so you know where I'm coming from.

Second, Shino's refusal to use Nincada as an actual fighter. Shino in cannon has been shown to be protective to a serious degree towards his Kikaichu, and I expect that would only increase in the case of his Larval partner, add to that who his opponent was and the fact that Nincada has almost nil in the way of ranged attacks at the moment, and I see it as almost the only option, though it's not going to remain that way for much longer.

Third, my outline got altered again, since my plan was for Temari and Tenten to win their matches, Chouji surprised me when that punch made it's way into the story and I couldn't think of a way for Temari to recover in a realistic manner. Kankuro just kind of flowed from there, since he had to be less willing to hold back after her loss. By the by, does anyone know if Temari is actually ever even hit in the series, I thought about it for days and cannot remember a single time.

Fourth, Tyrogue knows only two Fighting moves at the moment, because his moveset is very limited by nature. I decided to expand it a bit by giving him a move from each of his Evolution's breeding moves, so he has Rapid Spin, Mach Punch, and Low Kick from Hitmontop, Hitmonchan, and Hitmonlee respectively. Regardless of what he evolves into, he will keep these in his moveset.

And Lastly, I am putting up a poll, which I wanted to do last chapter but forgot. It's basically a 'What Element should Naruto learn as restitution from Sasuke' (referring to his theft of Gale Palm) The options will include all the pokemon elements except Normal, Fire, Wind(Flying), and Dragon. I'm turning this into an actual poll because I can work with anything on this item, but if anyone feels like suggesting jutsu ideas via review or PM as well, I'll be happy to check 'em out.

* * *

Review Response:

I'm always thankful for whatever reviews I receive, but there's one reviewer that I must admit I feel the need to address directly right now.

...I think I've gone into a bit of a rant, just a heads up. Skip it if you dislike such things.

**Noshadowone:**I'll be honest, prior to posting, I had a fairly long response to your first review typed up, which I discarded as a probably futile effort. The tone of your first review struck me as more flame than criticism, since the two factors you pointed to are length, which is a matter of opinion, and Naruto's partner, which is as well. That your account disallows PM's which is my preferred method of discourse just supports that theory, in my perception.

I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I received a second review from you, carrying the same fiery tone and highly opinionated 'criticism'. News for ya: Just because I don't like the taste of peppermint, doesn't mean I'm going to start telling people why their tastebuds are wrong.

On the subject of length, I tend to prefer longer stories, and a person's creations tend to match with their tastes. I bake what i enjoy eating, I write what I enjoy reading. That I have a number of reviewers who also enjoy long chapters is a wonderful windfall, and I assure you that there are a thousand other stories at least that have no qualms rushing around to get where they're going. I for one intend to enjoy the journey.

In regards to Ralts, Yes according to the numbers she is weak. Let me reiterate: Ralts is weak if one judges by her numerical statistics. At a baste stat total of 198, she is the weakest of the pokemon paired, with even Tyrogue, an official 'Baby Pokemon' rating a 210. However, upon evolution to Gardevoir, she jumps to 518, a gain of 320 points. By comparison, Charmander jumps from 309 to 534 (225 points) and Beldum from 300 to 600 (300 points).

By the numbers, she's weaker overall, but much like Naruto himself, her growth potential is enormous, rather than starting off at the top (Sasuke) or a closet champion (Shikamaru). Plus, as I've said before, Kirlia has a ton of utility, and I like what she brings as a character. If all I wanted was to hand Naruto upgrades, I wouldn't be writing this, because there are a ton of stories like that already, and generally I find them boring.

If you still don't like what I'm doing, feel free to use this as a base and write your own, or issue a challenge for someone to do so. I hold no objections or grudges against to those who don't like the story, everyone has their own tastes, and I learned a long time ago that sometimes mine are weird. Doesn't mean I'll stop putting mustard on my french fries though, so accept it or not, I really don't care.

As to your second review, Yes I could make the forest longer, I could go back and illustrate Karin's time within the forest, or Team Gai's more fully, or Team 8's, or what have you. I used the last chapter to touch on the characters who were making it to the prelims, that the Naka team did was largely because I have plans with them and outlines until the end of the invasion when they will be exiting stage right.

At times I regretted writing them in at all, but it was a earning experience, and dammit it's my first solo story, be glad they're not fricking Sues (May I burn if ever I write one) I'm still trying to balance things and build a whole bloody world around Kishimoto's, forgive me if some things take a bit more work than others, but I'm not just going to say 'these guys go here because I say so' without having a valid explanation as to how they got there.

And lastly, A: I'm not going to pick a pairing based on how many reviews it would net me, I may enjoy them, and may actively request feedback or inspiration, but something like that is not going to be poll fodder. The pairing, when it happens, will fit in the story.

B: Don't accuse me of setting a pairing just because I'm treating the character (Hinata) according to her actual motivation. Naruto is essentially the sun around which her world revolves, and so a lot of her perspective stuff will reference that. If Naruto suddenly starts following her around like a lost puppy, then you can give me shit. Thus far Naruto has been civil to Hinata, bordering on friendly, towards a person he has no reason to dislike and whom he knows he makes uncomfortable (though not quite why). If him smiling at her once in a while, makes this automatically Naru/Hina, then you have a pretty lax definition of the pairing. Keep in mind that Naruto thinks she's afraid of him, and her looking away every time he meets her eyes can't be helping that theory.

...Yes, I realize this response carries more of an angry tone than I generally prefer to use, but rereading your assumptive comments incited it. For anyone else who read this, I apologize to you for posting this in such a public manner, but the option for a private conversation that might actually have proven valuable from a meaningful standpoint was taken off the table.

* * *

To everyone who read and enjoyed, I thank you. TO everyone who read and didn't, feel free to tell me what was wrong. Despite what the above may imply, I have no issues with civil conversation, aside from the occasional delay in response caused by life in general.

-Mhyrloc


	15. Four Fights Finished

Alrighty, on time for once! Admittedly it's only four fights rather than the eight I was hoping for, but I think they're good ones.

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

* * *

"The fifth match," Hayate began, aware of and a bit worried by the snippets he heard from the Hokage as he walked away. "Hinata Hyuuga versus Misumi Tsurugi, both of Konoha!"

"Well well well, looks like I get to play with the little Hyuuga again," Misumi muttered, confident in his upcoming victory.

"Hmph, and here I was hoping for the easy win," Yoroi scowled.

"Such a shame," Misumi replied mockingly. "But there's still the mongrel, if you don't mind catching a few fleas in the process."

"Don't get cocky, and don't underestimate the girl," Kabuto interjected sharply. "She may not act like it, but she is still a Hyuuga... and as they say: 'Even a mouse will bite when cornered'."

"Oh? Advice from the resident encyclopedia?" Misumi asked scornfully. "And here I thought you wanted the little bitch to win."

"Rest assured, little would please me more than to see you two embarrass yourselves by losing horribly," Kabuto replied cheerfully. "But I do want to see her beat you fair and square... It'll make it so much more satisfying when I rub it in your face, wouldn't you agree?"

"Tch! If you weren't-"

"Weren't what, Misumi?" Kabuto interrupted sharply, not bothering to hide his scorn for, or his desire to be rid of, the temporary nuisances he'd been saddled with for this mission.

"Nothing... Forget I said anything," Misumi replied, hopping over the balcony to escape the faux medic's glare, Breloom following with a cautious glance.

"You know, Killer Intent isn't usually involved in a healthy team rivalry," the team's jounin sensei chided calmly.

"My apologies, sensei, but in my medical opinion, neither of my teammates are healthy in any psychological sense," Kabuto replied, barely contrite.

"Hmm," the older man murmured, neither supporting nor opposing the assessment. "Well, there aren't too many genin still in Root's ranks anymore... And either way, this is the last day you'll have to endure each other. I assume he'll be arranging any tutoring to follow?"

"I would expect so, if any of us pass that is," Kabuto replied calmly.

"And if you don't?" His sensei pressed.

Kabuto shrugged and sent an embarrassed smile the man's way.

"Who can say? But I doubt there are many more chunin exams in my future after so many failures. I guess I'm just not chunin material..." The boy replied, leaning against the rail to hum thoughtfully. "Though I think I would like to try real medical work... The more cutting edge, the better."

"I'm sure Danzo-sama can arrange something," his sensei assured, not noticing the gleam in Kabuto's eyes as he considered how little his hated mentor had to say on the subject.

* * *

"Now, repeat after me Hinata: 'Misumi-teme deserves an ass kicking',"

"K-Kiba-kun!" The girl scolded, shaking his hands free from her shoulders, which he'd planned to use to hold her still through his Inuzuka-style pep talk.

"What? It's the truth!" Kiba protested. "Jerks deserve to get their asses kicked! Ask Shino. Ask Kurenai-sensei. Heck, ask anybody who isn't one themselves! They'll back me up on this one."

Hinata just continued giving her teammate 'The Look', which somehow managed to be more adorable than intimidating, due to how brightly her cheeks were glowing at the scandalous suggestion of repeating his insult.

Shino actually nodded in rare agreement with the more rowdy boy, a fact that surprised their sensei more than a little, but was missed by Hinata in her efforts to be stern.

Noticing her not unfamiliar color, a sly smile crept over Kiba's face as he called on the ultimate support in this situation.

"Oi! Naruto! Jerks. Ass Kickings. Whaddaya say?" He shouted, eyes still locked into Hinata's, who paled almost instantly.

"They go together like noodles and broth, duh!" Naruto shouted back. "Everybody knows that!"

Kiba cocked a smug eyebrow at the girl, as if to ask if she had anymore objections.

"Waitaminute!" Naruto called back, looking more than a little worried. "You're not tellin' me you think I'm a jerk now, just cause I beat Shino, right?"

"What? No way, right guys?" Kiba replied, spinning to look at the blond, looking almost appalled at the idea.

Shino nodded his agreement. Once, firmly. Though he was more than a little curious how Naruto could still have as much energy as he seemed to, even without the adrenaline of battle fueling him... Most curious.

Hinata shook her head no, many times, before realizing that she was supposed to be agreeing with Kiba, and not disagreeing with Naruto, and nodding even more, and even more rapidly.

"But that guy's a total jerk!" Kiba continued, pointing at Misumi, already down with the proctor. "So Hinata's gotta take him down!"

Naruto crossed his arms and turned to the girl, staring at her with his eyes squinted in thought for a bit, before he nodded sagely. "If that's the way it is, then that's the way it is. What's she waiting for?"

"See? Even he agrees with me," Kiba said smugly, returning his attention to the starstruck girl. "So go kick his ass!"

"And do make haste," Shino added. "Because otherwise you may be disqualified..."

"R-right!" Hinata said quickly, nearly running for the steps in her hurry to comply with Kiba's... _And_ _Naruto-kin's!_ request.

"And you guys don't think I can make good plans," Kiba muttered with a superior expression.

"It is slightly better than your 'hit the bandits until they fall down' one," Kurenai admitted reluctantly. "But it wasn't much less subtle."

* * *

Hinata was stopped one more time, by a very cold and very familiar voice.

"Hinata-sama, a moment," Neji said, not bothering to look at her from his position at the railing, standing ramrod straight, and perfectly ready for anything that could happen.

His Sneasel ally perched on the railing, legs swinging as it snickered and favored everyone around, pokemon, human, comrade and foreigner, with contemptuous looks.

She turned to him quickly, stumbling a bit in her haste to stop, almost causing Vulpix to trip over the girl's heels.

Even after all the abuse he piled on her, she could not simply ignore or dismiss him, not after the price he had paid for her kinship.

Even knowing that simply the sight of him was torturous.

Perfect confidence. Perfect poise. Perfect prodigy.

Perfect heir... if his fate had been kinder.

He was everything she was supposed to be, and the example by which she was judged, more than any other.

"Y-yes, Neji-ni-san?" She asked hesitantly, eyes flickering towards the proctor worriedly when she noticed the man speaking to her waiting opponent.

Neji smiled bitterly, he did not need his dojutsu to see the nervous movements she made, was making, he could remember them well.

He'd had years to memorize the failing heiress' habits.

But... as much as he loathed the girl and everything she represented, he still had his duty, to his own ancestors if nothing else.

"I would advise that you forfeit, Hinata-_sama_," as always, the honorary leaving his mouth like a curse.

The girl flinched at his acidic tone, before realizing just what he had said, turning teary eyes to the boy who was like a brother to her, and who she so wanted to help.

"Make no mistake, I would like little more than to watch you make a fool out of yourself by resisting your obvious fate," Neji continued, his harsh tone blunting from hatred to detached scorn. "But it is my assigned duty to protect the Hyuuga image... and yourself, I suppose."

"It would serve no purpose for you to pursue this battle. If you were to lose, you will merely suffer needlessly for resisting to acknowledge your limited capabilities."

"But... I... I can win," Hinata replied softly, hopefully, trying to hold tightly to the borrowed confidence she felt slipping away with her relative's emotional battering.

"Oh, I have little doubt that you could," Neji replied callously. "Your opponent is half a decade your senior, yet remains a genin and was teamed with a repeated failure. Fate obviously favors him even less than it does you. You were born a Hyuuga, if nothing else."

"The question is not so much 'Can you win', as it is 'Should you win'." Neji said, ignoring her predictably pathetic reaction, torn between pride at his apparent faith in her, and shame at it's reason.

"You are a failure, as a Hyuuga and as an heiress, but thus far you have been a private shame on our clan."

"But if you defeat your... well matched opponent, then you will be attending the finals as a contestant. Where you will assuredly lose, badly. To me, if fate chooses to be generous..." It was immensely apparent from his tone that the idea of defeating her in a public forum was quite pleasing. "And if that happens, or even if you lose to one of the other failuress I intend to crush at that event, the shame you bring upon our name will become so very public... with repercussions even you cannot fail to see."

Hinata shivered, swallowing thickly at the potential penalty.

"You would not enjoy being sealed," Neji added, cruelly twisting the knife he'd buried in her metaphorical ribs. "No matter how appropriate a life of servitude would be for a person of your timid nature."

"Oi! Hinata, wrong jerk!" Kiba shouted brazenly, bursting the bubble of misery that Neji had built around Hinata. "We'll kick that guy's ass later!"

The Hyuuga turned a baleful eye on the uncouth Inuzuka, but Kiba just bared his teeth in a feral grin, challenging and foolish.

"Thank you for your concern, Neji-ni-san," Hinata said, soft but firm. "But I must do my best. I have to try."

"Then do as you wish," Neji replied dismissively. "I have discharged my duty, if you persist in charging headlong to feebly resist your fate, then let it fall upon your head alone..."

Hinata bowed to her cousin, and resumed her walk down the stairs, bolstering her will with each step, Vulpix hopping down them in a rush, waiting at the floor with her six tails weaving around each other in eager anticipation..

Kiba-kun believed in her...

Shino-kun believed in her...

Kurenai-sensei believed in her...

Even Neji-ni-san, in his own way acknowledged her potential for victory...

Naruto-kun... well, he didn't seem too worried when he agreed that Misumi-san needed to get his butt kicked... so he believed in her... kind of...

A little, maybe?

As she stepped onto the arena floor and circled to her position, she stole a glance towards her admired.

He looked worried and confused, glancing between herself and Kirlia, who was staring at Hinata with a stern expression.

"_Do you really wish to become strong?"_ Kirlia asked her privately. _"Really and truly?"_

"_Yes!" _Hinata replied instantly. _"I do! I do! I would do anything for Naru-"_

"_For yourself!" _Kirlia snapped harshly, causing the girl to flinch visibly. _"If you truly desire to grow, then become what you are meant to become, for yourself and no one else. Not Naruto, nor that bitter, broken boy, can make this decision for you. Focus on becoming who you are, and let the rest follow as it will."_

"_Neji-ni-san is not broken!" _Hinata fired back, defending her beloved, if hurtful, cousin loyally. _"I'll win, for myself or Naruto-kun, or whatever reason. I. Will. Win! I would do anything for Naruto-kun..."_

Icy fingers trailed down Kirlia's spine and her vision... twisted.

No longer was she matching stares with the shy and insecure girl with a forlorn crush on her partner, instead it was another Hinata, older, bolder, and so, so angry.

A woman who had sacrificed everything for her dreams.

A woman who had lost those dreams on the day she sacrificed her own heart on the altar of ambition.

The proctor coughed pointedly, and Hinata turned away, the vision shattering as their eyes broke contact.

"_Be careful of the promises you make, Hinata-san," _Kirlia advised quietly. _"You can never know which ones you will have to keep."_

"_I will not go back on my word,"_ Hinata replied, a small smile finding it's way onto her face as she settled into her stance. _"That is my... our, ninja way!"_

Kirlia let it go at that, rubbing her horns and groaning in annoyance.

What a time for this mess to start, and what a person to trigger it.

She could only hope that the prophetic vision was a 'might be' rather than a 'will be', for the girl's sake if nothing else.

"Hey, Kirlia-chan, you okay?" Naruto asked, concern heavy in his loudly whispered voice. "You looked pretty... um, intense there..."

"_I'm fine," _she replied, smiling up at him heartwarmingly. _"I just... thought I saw something. That's all."_

"Oh... alright then," Naruto replied, when she turned back to watch the match in progress, obviously dismissing the issue.

Kirlia loved her partner dearly, but some things were best left private, and a weak vision like that would only worry him.

Of course, if he was like most humans, just the knowledge that she could catch glimpses of the future, or at least possible futures, would be enough to cause panic.

It was for this very good reason that the Gardevoir and Gallade retreated from association with the ninja of so long ago.

Hopefully, the many bloody visions her ancestors had endured had past into history during the intervening centuries.

* * *

Misumi and Breloom watched as Hinata watched from her team after a very obvious pep-talk, with her quick movements, and her head ducked low, she really did look like a little mouse scurrying for cover.

Misumi felt his lip curl in a snarl as he remembered Kabuto's advice.

"Oh for the love of..." Hayate complained when the girl was stopped by her relative, looking unsure, but staying with him regardless.

"Alright, that's long enough, I'm calling it," The proctor decided, feeling he had given the prospective chunin more than enough time to make it down. Had this been an emergency situation, the girl's rescue missions would probably end up as retrievals instead.

"I'd rather wait for her," Misumi said simply, if a bit quickly, to forestall his public declaration.

"A win is a win," Hayate replied with more than a hint of reproach. "As judge, it is my prerogative to decide when a competitor as earned disqualification.

"Then just start the match and we'll wait for her," Misumi snapped back. "You didn't object when the green kid did it, or his freaky opponent, and I want to fight little Miss Hyuuga."

"Fine, but for what it's worth, a true ninja takes his victories whenever, and however he gets them, especially for an important battle," Hayate scolded, watching the girl as she once more walked towards them, tense but determined.

She paused once more, looking towards Naruto, but a not-so-subtle cough brought her attention back to where it belonged.

"Are the competitors _finally_ ready?" Hayate asked, sounding exasperated.

"Oh yes," Misumi replied, snapping his arms to the sides, whip-like, before finally settling into his stance.

Hinata smiled absently and shifted into her own without a word.

"Begin!" Hayate said, leaping away for the fifth time.

Both genin charged instantly, surprising everyone who knew the shy girl, but none more than Misumi, who found her inside his guard and under his extended arm.

Thankfully, in his shocked hesitation, he held the secret of his fighting style by sheer accident.

Two glowing hands darted in, one aimed at his throat while the other targeted the joint between his hip and right leg.

Impossibly limber, Misumi threw himself into a backward flip, pulling his head away from the potentially paralyzing and certainly painful throat strike, and lifting his leg in a kick at the girl's face.

Her juuken strike discharged as his kick knocked her hand aside, sending the chakra spike into the meat of his thigh instead of the joint she'd aimed for, unpleasant, but not disabling.

Hinata had begun dodging as soon as she recognized his evasive action would be successful, and so avoided his kick cleanly, leaving the ninja separated.

Misumi flipped away, twice, thrice, and then a fourth, higher flip, from which he fired a series of shuriken in rapid succession before landing on his feet, once again facing the girl.

Hinata took advantage of the momentary disengagement to activate her bloodline, her vision expanded with a snap, flooding her perceptions with more visual information than any but a Hyuuga could possibly comprehend.

She split her attention between Misumi, who's limbs seemed to be infused with a strangely large amount of chakra, and Breloom, who had slipped away in the distraction of the first exchange, and was now circling at range.

"G-go!" Hinata said quickly, charging forward again, Vulpix close at her side, ducking under the angle of the blades, shining with a gleam more malicious than metallic.

The blades slammed into the floor behind her, leaking their toxic payload onto the arena in a puddle of poison.

Significantly more concerning were the multiple seeds Breloom launched at them from the red 'eye spots' on it's mushroom cap in pairs., Leech Seeds intended to tangle and trap, and even those that missed remained on the ground, pulsing dangerously until they consumed the energy sustaining them.

Hinata's hands darted out more than once to strike at a close flying seed before it attached, and Vulpix roasted even more with multiple bursts of Incinerate, burning clear the path of those Breloom aimed to land ahead of them.

Breloom was faster than she expected though, and slid into position before her opponent-slash-obstacle, it's short claws clicking in anticipation.

Both claws suddenly launched forward, barely a foot of space between the tearing points.

But the byakugan was the ultimate dojutsu of perception, and Hinata a small and very agile kunoichi, and with a twist and lunge, she was inside the pokemon's reach.

Behind her, she saw the claws link together, and start to retract, almost as quickly as they had been fired.

She briefly considered escaping the probable trap, just ducking under the attack, or leaping away from them, but decided to follow what her Naruto-kun would probably do, and continued her full-on attack with apparent confidence.

To be fair, it was exactly what the boy would have done, and he would have been even more surprised when the pokemon opened it's mouth and launched a series of glowing high velocity projectiles at her. _(Seed Bullet)_

She was saved from her recklessness in much the same way her admired would have as well: pokemon intervention, as Vulpix ducked in, closely orbiting Hinata and wrapping them both in a column of fiery defense, reducing the impacting seeds to a scattering of ash. _(Fire Spin)_

Breloom shrieked in pain as the flames engulfed it's arms, and the pokemon retracted them instantly, abandoning the failed strategy and catching the girl in the process, more by accident than design.

Hinata let out a breathless cry as the claws, released from their grip on each other, but not yet fully separated caught her in the back, dragging their way around her, slicing twin lines through her coat from back to sides, and yanking the slight girl off her feet.

Her byakugan gone with her lost focus, and still surrounded by the flaming wall, Hinata barely noticed movement to her side, and she lurched away as much as she was able, but the hand that had grabbed at her still caught her jacket, and the next thing she knew, she was being dragged roughly through the fire, across the ground and into the air by Misumi's strangely elastic arm.

With a roar of anger, Vulpix raced through the Fire spin herself and after her partner as fast as she could, ignoring the flames licking across her fur and into her tails, causing them to glow from within. _(Ability: Flash Fire)_

Vulpix's Quick Attack was met halfway by Breloom's own Mach Punch, though the plant-like pugilist channeled it's attack through it's tail, rather than it's burn-scarred claws.

The green seed cluster at the end of it's tail rattled hollowly at the impact, and a tri-colored cloud shook free to engulf the smaller fox pokemon, which sneezed forcefully, ejecting a small burst of fire in the process. _(Ability: Effect Spore)_

"Caught like a rat in a trap," Misumi observed as the girl sputtered and clawed at her coat, strangling due to the length the man had wrapped in his large fist.

"I'm actually a little impressed," He continued, ignoring her pain and the conflict continuing between the two pokemon, as fire and tail-fist were traded within a cloud of drifting spores. "I expected Breloom to be more than enough to handle a pair of weaklings like you... but I guess I was wrong. He's having enough trouble just holding off your little fox cub."

The mushroom pokemon shook in annoyance at the jab, scattering more spores, but continued trying to beat the fire-type.

Hinata managed to get a finger on each hand into the neck of the coat, pulling it as wide as she could, and gasping in air as quickly as she could to relieve the burning in her lungs.

"Such a shame, blue is such a nice color for you," Misumi taunted. "But I'll tell you what, little mouse. Squeak for me, and I might just let you quit. Otherwise..."

Hinata looked worried for a moment, before realizing how open the man was to attack.

She released her grip with one hand, accepting the partial strangulation as she attacked, driving two-fingered juuken strikes into the only target she could reach well: the man's elbow.

She attacked as quickly as she was able, stabbing the joint time and again, knowing that if she could just hit the tenketsu she knew was there, his arm would be useless!

Hinata was confident, or at least hopeful, until the man grabbed her attacking hand and snarled at her viciously.

"Just how stupid do you think I am, you damn Hyuuga?!" He shouted, shaking her roughly and nearly crushing her hand in his grip. "I'm not some incompetent little brat, standing here waiting for you to just attack."

"I'm standing here because it doesn't matter if you do," he said proudly. "I've learned to saturate my muscles, bones, even my organs with chakra. Hit however many damn tenketsu you want, I'll just go around them."

Hinata stared at him, eyes wide and tearing from the pain, both physical and emotional, as she realized that even this fight was beyond her.

"But being able to crush a prissy little clan bitch like you? That's just a bonus," he pressed on maliciously. "You want to see the best part? No? Too bad, I'll show you anyway!"

He spun rapidly, bringing his arm down, nearly dragging the girl across the floor once more, before lifting her up, up and insanely high, considering he still had a firm grasp on the cloth at her throat, stretching until the girl was nearly twenty feet above his evil expression.

At the apex, there was a moment of weightlessness, which she couldn't fully appreciate as she scrabbled madly to escape, grabbing Misumi's arm and trying to tear his grip free.

But then she was falling, and he was pulling, tearing a scream from her lungs, and then she was free, his hand releasing just in time to be out of the way when the girl slammed into the unforgiving ground.

In more pain than she could remember ever feeling before, Hinata groaned and tried to rise, holding tight to Naruto's name, Naruto's face, Naruto's will to never surrender...

Arguing with herself, begging her body to fight on, Hinata pushed herself to her hands and knees...

And Misumi attacked again.

He grabbed her by the back of her coat, and sent her flying again, into the wall this time, leaving a scatter of blood where she cried out from the impact.

Rather than release her to fall, Misumi held on, yanking her back through the air and winding an arm around her like a yoyo's string, binding her arms tightly to her sides.

She blinked dazedly as Misumi held her once more, a demonstration of chakra enhanced strength, and a more obvious one than the vice-like constriction he was putting her ribs through.

Vulpix roared again, warding Breloom away with yet more fire as she tried to rush Misumi, staggering and stumbling under effects of the various pollen she had been dusted with. _(Paralysis and Poison, Sleep negated by Breloom's attacks)_

"Enough of this crap," Misumi decided, whipping out a kunai and resting it maliciously against Hinata's cheek, just below her right eye. "One more step, and she dies."

Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata saw the proctor vanish, and knew she was moments away from being declared the loser.

Moments away from yet more evidence of her failure, in front of Naruto-kun no less.

Her mind racing, her arms trapped, traditional juuken useless, only one idea came to mind, an image of Naruto-kun, pinned by his greatest rival with an academy kunai at his throat.

In a burst of motion, driven by desperation and the knowledge that she had the barest of moments to act, Hinata lashed out with her feet, grabbing Misumi's chest with the simple Tree Walking exercise, and pulled.

Then, with him off balance and in reach, she imitated her idol one more time: ignoring the weapon and slamming her forehead into her opponent's face.

The dagger dug into her cheek, ripping a line towards her ear, but she more than paid the man back for the injury by blasting him with a bolt of juuken through her forehead, through the same tenketsu the youngest of academy students used to learn their first chakra exercise.

Intentional or not, enough chakra was used in the attack that a translucent burst of the energy was visible exiting the ninja's skull opposite the impact point.

Misumi collapsed like a puppet with it's strings cut, and Hinata fell free, groaning as she hit the ground hard.

Hayate looked wide-eyed at the pair, and rushed over to the older while Hinata struggled to gather herself and stand.

With the girl distracted by her own problems, he knelt down, fingers going to Misumi's neck, though it was hardly necessary.

His eyes met Breloom's, then the genin's sensei, before turning to the Hokage and shaking his head slightly, regretfully.

Breloom moaned mournfully, then vanished in a burst of green light, scaring the ground with it's intensity as the pokemon sent itself home.

Hinata jerked to her feet when she saw it, facing where Breloom and Vulpix had stood, raising her hands defensively.

"Winner: Hinata Hyuga," Hayate said solemnly, rising to his feet and allowing a lone medic to come retrieve the dead ninja's corpse.

Hinata turned to look at the man, but found Kurenai at her side, smoothly blocking the girl's sight as she helped her stand.

"You did... great, Hinata," Kurenai said, hesitant out of fear for the girl's emotional balance, if she found out how exactly she had won.

"I... I did it..." Hinata gasped, clutching her sensei tightly. "Did... Naruto-kun see? He was... right! He... They..." She coughed blood, on Kurenai's outfit, then rubbed at it weakly, in a disoriented attempt to clean it off.

"Come on, Hinata," Kurenai said softly, comfortingly, as she guided the girl away from the arena floor and towards the medical wing, collecting Vulpix as she walked.

The girl stumbled often as she moved, evidence of the difficulty of her battle, but followed her sensei faithfully, Kurenai-sensei had never steered her wrong, and wouldn't start now.

Kiba and Naruto shared a concerned look, wondering if they might be at fault in this tragic event, and even Shino looked more than a little worried.

"How very like a main branch member," Neji muttered, his words only heard by Tenten and his sensei. "Even the most ignorant of Hyuuga know the dangers of attacking an opponent's brain with juuken... but I suppose such concern's aren't at issue for them."

"Really? That's what you comment on?" Tenten asked. "Not the fact that that bastard swung her around like a cheap bokken?"

"If she had accepted my advice, she wouldn't have been injured at all," Neji replied with a careless shrug. "Plus, if she were actually any good as a Hyuuga, she wouldn't have been captured in the first place."

"...whatever." Tenten muttered, rather than persist in pressing the issue.

As logical as the boy tended to be, where his family was concerned, Neji couldn't see past his own prejudice.

Gai just shook his head in disappointment, but he too let the argument slide, though he did intend to warn the Hyuuga head of the dangers, should the pair meet in the next event.

* * *

"The sixth match: Shikamaru Nara of Konoha, versus Zaku Abumi of Oto!" Hayate announced. "Will the contestants please make their way to the floor quickly this time."

"Alright! You show 'em what you can do, Shikamaru!" Chouji said, shifting his focus away from the distressing end of the previous match by rekindling the enthusiasm from his own victory.

Shikamaru looked across the room at his opponent, frowning in annoyance as he remembered the secondhand advice he'd heard from Ino, dutifully delivered by Sakura.

"You know you can't just give up, right? Not after all that stuff you told Chouji," Asuma commented guilelessly.

"You just had to bring something like that up didn't you?" Shikamaru muttered in response. "Fine, not like I have much choice in the matter..."

"You bet you don't!" Ino shot back, shoving him bodily towards the stairs faster than his sluggish body wanted to move. "Now go down and cream that blowhard. I want us to leave here with a clean sweep!"

"...right, right," Shikamaru sighed. "Stop being so darn pushy..."

"Bel... dum?" His pokemon inquired curiously, floating behind him.

"Don't ask me, I don't speak 'Crazy Girl Language'," Shika replied with a shrug for his partner.

"Dum. Dum dum bel um dum." the pokemon remarked.

"Dumb dumb is right," Shikamaru replied with a small smile.

Reaching his position, he stood across from Zaku and Yanma, the Sound ninja grinning bitterly, looking scuffed but eager as his hands clenched and unclenched impatiently.

"If both competitors are ready, let's try to avoid any unnecessary deaths this time, shall we?" Hayate said calmly, looking between the two boys.

"Fine by me," Shikamaru replied lazily.

"I ain't making any promises," Zaku disagreed. "If he wants to get outta this alive, then he should just give up here and now."

"Tempting, but that's not gonna happen," the Nara genius replied.

"Fine, but I _will_ step in if I think one of you has claimed victory," the proctor said sternly. "One death during this part of the exam is already more than there should have been... Begin!"

Hayate purposely didn't consider which of the two he'd have declared victor if he had stopped the previous match in time, and which actually won, albeit in an act of apparent desperation.

Zaku wasted no time in bringing his palms forward, palm-hole cannons as close together as they could physically get, as Yanma zipped almost straight up into the air, moving with incredible speed and only accelerating.

Beldum, chanted it's name once, then took after the big bug in a futile chase.

Already warned by the gossip princess, Shikamaru hastily escaped backwards, putting as much space as he dared between himself and the Oto-nin.

"Zankūha!" Zaku shouted, sending a blast of razored wind flying at the boy, and setting the tunnel-riddled floor whistling like a makeshift flute.

Shikamaru ceased his backpedaling, and redirected his movement into a sidelong leap, rolling along the ground and out of the conical attack's range.

"You gotta do better than that," Shikamaru taunted, having escaped the attack completely.

The jutsu seemed to have a bit less range, and was a lot less intense than he'd been told, possibly because the boy was still exhausted from beating the forest so late.

They had to have had a hell of a time of it, judging by the way their team's kunoichi was still recovering, propped against the wall apparently asleep.

Or, he was purposely holding back...

Zaku rotated swiftly, sliding one foot back to bring himself in line without breaking the force of his attack, forcing Shikamaru to dodge again, sketching a circle around the boy, perfectly satisfied with letting him waste his chakra.

The Oto ninja cut his jutsu in less than a second, but continued to turn warily, watching for an opening, or an attack.

Shikamaru, glanced down to the gouges carved by the wind jutsu and let a confident smile appear on his face.

He and Zaku stared at each other, Zaku watching for the slightest opening, and Shikamaru crouched in preparation to dodge, with one hand hidden in his weapon pouch.

Above them, Yanma and Beldum flashed through an impressive aerial display...

At least on one side of the battle.

Yanma used and abused it's amazing speed, pounding the much less mobile, but far more durable Beldum mercilessly.

Quick Attack, Leech Life, Aerial Ace, Sonic Boom, and Signal Beam, all were ignored, mere scratches against it's tough metal hide, and answered with countering rams from Beldum's Take Down attack, most of which missed.

Double Team bought Yanma some time, at least until it's first attack that connected, after which Beldum's single-minded focus allowed it to ignore the false copies in favor of the original, no matter how the many bugs wove in and around each other.

At least until Yanma attempted to turn the pokemon's strength against itself, setting it's wings vibrating too fast for even the ninja's eyes to see, it formed a thin blue circle of energy, before firing it at Beldum point blank. _(Supersonic)_

The attack hit Beldum right in it's bright red eye, an instant before the pokemon connected in a midair collision, sending Yanma spiraling towards the ground for a few moments, though the Bug caught itself smoothly, zipping back up and immediately going into evasive maneuvers, though it needn't have bothered.

The Supersonic attack had worked, scrambling Beldum's perceptions, the world was skewing around itself, and the pokemon was racing full tilt after an enemy that wasn't even close.

An explosive impact and the sound of falling stone broke the stalemate between Shikamaru and Zaku, the latter's eyes lifting to see where Beldum had one of it's Take Down actually connected, albeit with the roof rather than it's enemy, which flew nearly a dozen feet below it, preparing yet another Supersonic, in preparation for the end of the previous application's confusing effects.

The instant his eyes moved, Shikamaru burst into motion, tearing his hand from his pouch and launching a number of shuriken, then dodging away into Zaku's right-hand blind spot and activating his familial jutsu with a single rat seal and sending his shadow towards the Oto ninja.

Zaku was only a hair slower, separating his hands for the first time, spinning left, revealing his back to Shikamaru for a moment, while he blew the shuriken away with his right hand, and ending with his left pointed towards Shikamaru.

Who grinned confidently, a bare step outside of the marks left by Zaku's earlier, sustained blast, and their shadows fully connected.

"Kagemane no jutsu: Success," Shikamaru said, ignoring the cheering congratulations of his teammates. "May as well give up, you're trapped, and you're one little step away from being able to hit me with your jutsu. Shame you can't move, isn't it."

"Yeah... Shame for you!" Zaku replied, his arms quivering as he resisted the jutsu's efforts to force him to mirror Shikamaru's rat seal stance. "Cause I ain't done yet! Zankūha!"

There was a moment's delay, before the wax cap hidden within Zaku's left palm-cannon burst, freeing the last of his ball bearing blasts, prepared while he and Dosu waited for Kin to recover, and dyed dark with blood recovered from their final victims.

Shikamaru jerked in surprise, eyes wide before the innumerable steel balls tore into him, then burst in a cloud of smoke to reveal a log which bore a striking resemblance to a honeycomb due to the number of holes it bore.

"Not a bad try," Shikamaru drawled from behind Zaku. "If Sakura hadn't told us about that little trick of yours, you would have had me for sure."

Zaku, started to turn to face the Nara, but reconsidered mid-move and leapt away, continuing the rotation while in the air and landing once more with his eyes and palms aimed at his enemy.

Shikamaru stood calmly with his hands in the rat sign, his shadow writhing dangerously as it retracted to pool around his feet.

Zaku and Shikamaru both measured the distance with their eyes, Shikamaru judging it to be nearly two and a half times the distance he'd initially assumed to be Zaku's limit.

The Oto-nin himself suppressed a smirk, and dug a pair of signal flares from his pouch, items also claimed from their final kill, the meticulous morons.

Igniting the items, he tossed them to the ground between himself and his opponent, who merely cocked an eyebrow and dropped his seal, slipping his hands into his pockets with a slight nod of acknowledgment.

Zaku himself, began gathering chakra as fast as he could, his hands hidden in his pouches, rather than held out before him as was his standard practice.

Shikamaru studied the boy for a moment, carefully considering the placement of the flares before shrugging and turning his attention to the aerial combat between the pokemon.

Or more accurately, the battered Beldum's attempts to attack opponents which didn't exist, and Yanma's cautious attempts to maintain the debilitating affliction it had enforced upon it.

The steel-type's straightforward attacks made that rather easy for Yanma, who had taken to simply following behind Beldum, peppering it's backside with Supersonics and other ranged attacks when possible.

"I gotta remember that: Clear Body ability apparently doesn't do a thing against Confusion..." Shikamaru muttered to himself, his voice practically dripping with annoyance.

"You better not be ignoring me," Zaku threatened, never fond of being overlooked by people.

"Nah, just waiting to see what you'll do," Shikamaru replied drily still watching the pokemon. "I figure you've got maybe eight options right now, and I'm curious which you'll choose."

"Oh yeah? Well, don't let me keep you in suspense," Zaku said, before blurring into motion, sending a batch of shuriken and leaping after them, landing in between his still burning flares and bringing his arms to bear.

"Zankūkyokuha!" Zaku roared, sending a wave of even more intense wind after the blades, rocketing them towards Shikamaru at a positively terrifying speed, and almost blowing the boy himself back with the first forceful gust.

Rather than retreat, Shikamaru slid one foot to the side, presenting his profile to the scattered attack, and lifting his arms to point straight up.

To his surprise, Zaku's arms flew up in exact mimicry, redirecting his wind from Shikamaru into the air, in direct line with Yanma.

"Beldum, full reverse now! Take that bug down!" Shikamaru ordered, growling away the pain of two shuriken buried in his right arm and hip, both driven with enough force behind them to hit, and pierce bone.

Beldum complied instantly, as any member of Team Ten would respond to a serious command from the team genius, and blown towards the steel type as it was, Yanma had little chance to evade, and less to escape, as Beldum clamped it's tail-claws around the bug the instant it felt the contact.

Yanma continued fighting, attempting short range Sonic Booms and even Leech Life, against it's grappling opponent, hoping to finish the damaged Steel type with one last ditch effort, until the two slammed into the ground, Beldum's claws pinning the pokemon on it's back, the Steel-type appearing as a small pillar of blue metal.

The Bug continued it's attempted assault, but familiar lines of blue light traced it's form, flaring white and leaving the pokemon almost completely protected from harm. _(Iron Defense)_

"What the hell!?" Zaku shouted, struggling futilely to move his arms back into position, having cut the chakra to his attacks almost immediately, though moments too late to have saved Yanma.

"Well, it was pretty darn obvious where you'd go..." Shikamaru said with a shrug, leaving the shuriken as they were for the moment, though the blades pulled and cut with every movement.

"It's the only spot here where you'd expect to be safe from my shadow jutsu... shame you forgot about Shino's little bug holes, isn't it?" Shikamaru asked with a wry grin.

"You didn't cast your damn jutsu!" Zaku protested, still trying to move. "Your hands were in your pockets!"

"Seal-less jutsu. It's not that complicated..." Shikamaru replied, sounding a bit puzzled. "Your own attack is the same right?"

Zaku grimaced, in truth, his arm cannons were more a form of chakra manipulation than a proper jutsu... And he didn't have a jounin-sensei like Asuma, who had been driving his genin to grow fast, if only to keep up with Team Seven's surprising progress.

"Eh, not like it really matters," Shikamaru said dismissively, carefully bringing his hands together in a Rat seal, ensuring that Zaku's palms never pointed his way, just in case. "This match is over, Kiseki Sentou!" _(Stone Spire)_

Halfway between the two, a spear of rock tore itself from the ground, stabbing upwards to a height almost as tall as either boy present.

"You should forfeit now, unless you like the idea of being seeing one of those up close and personal," Shikamaru threatened with a smirk.

"You don't got the guts," Zaku replied with a challenging grin of his own. "All I gotta do is wait, and you'll be outta chakra in a couple minutes... and once that happens, I win."

"Yeah... except for one thing," Shikamaru countered. "Kiseki Sentou!"

This Rock element attack spiked up much closer to Zaku, it's needle-sharp point passing through the circle formed by his arms and hands holding their seal.

"Knew you wouldn't do it," Zaku said, holding as much confidence as he could with the near miss.

"Winner: Shikamaru Nara," Hayate announced, appearing between the two.

"What!? No fuckin' way!" Zaku roared, shaking with anger despite the grip of Shikamaru's jutsu. "I can keep going! This bastard hasn't won yet!"

"He demonstrated his capacity to end the match to my satisfaction," the proctor announced. "It is my professional opinion that had he felt the need, you would be dead rather than hugging a rock."

"I figured that was the case," Shikamaru added with a careless shrug. "Deaths happen, but I doubt the big shots want another on their hands, not now that we're done with the Forest of Death. Too many corpses might make the other villages nervous..."

"But if you really want to keep going, I can just make you smash your face into that thing until you're unconscious," Shikamaru added slyly.

"That won't be necessary," Hayate reiterated. "The match is over, I will not be having a repeat of last match's ending "

"This is total bullsh-"

"Zaku!" Their jounin-sensei, a slick looking man in a dark uniform, called sharply. "The proctor has made his decision, and I happen to agree with him. You lost. Accept it and stop embarrassing our village."

"Y-yes, sensei..." Zaku mumbled, immediately ending his protests and trudging his way up to his team, clenching his fists in frustrated anger.

When he arrived, his sensei set one hand on his shoulder, looking into the boy's eyes comfortingly.

"Don't be so upset, Zaku-kun," the disguised leader of the village of Sound said quietly. "You'll just have a bit more free time on your hands in the upcoming month, hmm? I'm sure we can find some way for you to support the village's needs... there is so much to do afterall."

"You give the order, I'll get it done," Zaku promised fervently, recognizing his idolized master easily, if only because the Sannin allowed it to happen.

"I'm sure you will," Orochimaru replied, squeezing the boy's shoulder firmly. "You always were so loyal to the village, and to me..."

* * *

"Still think that jutsu's 'too troublesome' to use?" Asuma teased Shikamaru as he returned, dragging his feet as usual.

"Eh... It gets the job done," Shikamaru muttered, leaning against the railing once again, too lazy to stand straight a second longer than he needed to.

And the jutsu was a bit more useful than he wanted to admit, allowing him to circumvent the most significant weakness of his Shadow techniques, and preventing his targets from evading with the powerful one-two combo of Possession and Stone Spike.

And all he paid for it was some chakra and the ghostly sensation of his enemy's spit-roasting, felt through the connecting Shadow Possession jutsu.

More than anyone else on Team Ten, he hated killing, and not just for moral reasons.

Ironically, he was also the best at it, thanks to the combo technique.

Thankfully, both of his teammates understood, and kept their congratulations to a calm pat on the back from Chouji and a quiet shriek from Ino.

* * *

"Seventh match: Dosu Kinuta of Oto, versus Kaeru of Naka," Hayate announced from the center of the arena.

The competitors made their way to the floor, Kaeru guiding herself with a hand on the railing as she listened to Dosu's quiet steps.

Dosu kept his one eye trained on the girl, remembering her interference prior to the first exam, and wondering at how sensitive her ears might be to allow her to both understand his weapon and arrest his attack so quickly.

And how he could turn that sensitivity against the girl and claim victory.

The two took their positions, and though the girl's teammate called a warning to her when she almost bumped into the tall pillar of stone left over from the previous match, Dosu wasn't willing to count on it being a true necessity, rather than some kind of ruse.

The girl ran her hand along the rock spear as she stood beside it, looking slightly away from Dosu, her head cocked in such a way as to optimize her ability to perceive her opponent's sounds.

Dosu flexed his claws experimentally, the perfectly maintained joints moving with barely a sound, even to his well-trained ears, but the girl's expression informed him that she somehow noticed.

Hayate looked between the two, a bit disconcerted at how quiet the two were being.

"...you two ready?" Hayate asked, looking between the two, who nodded in response. "Okay then. Seventh match, begin!"

Hayate slipped away, but neither genin moved to attack.

Dosu turned and paced around the girl, who turned to follow him, one hand trailing across the stone spire as she circled it, her other hanging at her side, hidden by the sleeve of her voluminous cloak.

This continued for a long moment, with only the scuffs on stone from their feet telling the tale of their subtle contest as Dosu matched his stealth against Kaeru's perception.

"You're a patient one, aren't you?" Dosu said, using a simple trick to make his voice call out from across the room.

"As patient as I must be," she replied quietly, barely reacting to the voice coming from a direction other than expected.

Dosu nodded simply in response, bringing his hands together, palm to metal palm.

When he resumed walking, following the same route he'd been moving along earlier, his footsteps echoed in the opposite direction, a result of careful manipulation of the sound waves in the room.

Without the slightest hesitation, Kaeru followed the noise, unaware of the trap the Sound ninja had caught her in.

"Well, enjoyable as this might be, I'm sure our spectators are getting bored," Dosu said blandly a few seconds later, his voice coming from the empty air Kaeru was facing, while he himself stood directly behind her.

"I was unaware that the opinions of our fellow genin were important." Kaeru said, sounding puzzled.

She certainly hadn't been attempting to find enjoyment in the matches that had preceded hers, not that she had really had a chance to witness them properly anyway.

"Oh, they don't," Dosu admitted. "But I'm getting tired of this useless display."

"Then perhaps you should end it?" Kaeru suggested, more than willing to let her opponent make the first move.

Rather than answer, Dosu ran forward, ending the careful redirection of his footsteps, but still scattering the sound randomly, disorienting the girl, who lowered her head and frowned trying to discern the true direction of attack, defensively ducking behind the stone column.

And into reach of Dosu's real attack.

The Oto-nin swung his claws at the girl's exposed back, wind moaning around the viciously glinting points.

Just before the weapon would have torn through her spine, the girl dropped low, leaving the weapon to break the thin pillar of rock, at the same moment, she released the smoke bomb she held in her hidden hand, intending to remove Dosu's visual advantage.

The ninja tool exploded on impact, veiling both ninja, and Kaeru lunged backwards, rolling underneath Dosu's extended arm and rising to her feet behind the boy using the motion to drive a fist into where she expected her opponent's kidney to be, exposed as it was by the boy's attack.

Dosu grunted when she connected, but shrugged off the pain by dint of experience, and using his biological hand, he grabbed the girl's wrist before she could retract it, yanking her forward and slamming a steel elbow into the girl's face before she could pull away.

Rather than release her, or hit her again, he moved his metal arm so that the sound holes were pointing right at her dazed head.

"Sing," He ordered in the same bored sounding voice he always used.

The sound from Banshee's Screech attack ripped through the resonance chambers in his arm, emerging from the holes with enough volume that many of the observing ninja covered their ears immediately.

Sarutobi, the Anbu (former and current), and a couple of the other higher ranking ninja just enacted a simple jutsu to shield their ears and muffle the noise.

The pale girl had no such protection, and she jerked wildly, alternately trying to break free from Dosu's grasp and block out the offensive noise, keening behind her firmly clamped teeth as she fought against the potent attack.

Kaeru finally managed to slip her slim wrist free of his grip, staggering backwards in a near run as she covered her ears, almost sobbing from the pain.

"Burst," Dosu ordered, unheard by the reeling girl.

The dissonant noise ended, but Kaeru found little relief in that fact as Dosu's steel claws slammed into her gut, blasting the wind out of her lungs, and with it a blast of sound that cleared the obscuring smoke, forcing it away on the edge of a visible shockwave of sound. _(Roar)_

What the sound did to her insides, when Dosu reopened the holes in his claw tips was even more blatant, though the only evidence of the damage it wrought was a spurt or dark blood which marked her path as she was blasted away.

Immediately, the proctor was at her side, intending to inspect the injury, but to his surprise the girl pushed him away, using the man himself for cover as she pushed to her feet with a bubbling growl.

"We're not finished. I'm just getting started!" She swore, circling around a very surprised looking Hayate and ripping her blindfold with one hand, and launching a spiked crystalline ball at Dosu with the other.

Dosu blocked the object, which shattered on impact, sending slivers like amethyst shards raining across the floor in front of him.

Dosu met the girl's unveiled eyes, shifting orbs of solid of red-tinged violet as the girl smiled fiercely.

"You should just accept defeat and quit now," Dosu advised gravely. "I can not, will not, fail here."

"And stop so soon?" Kaeru asked, crossing her arms and pouting at the boy, though the pout soon gave way to a playful grin"But you let me out, so you get to play with me."

The girl darted forward, striking with one fist, then the other, which Dosu predictably blocked with his Melody Arm, shifting his arm low, then high in response.

The girl slid low, drawing her leading hand back and stabbing in again in a flash, mirroring Dosu's own clawed attack on herself.

Dosu grunted, and hammered down with his arm, striking the girl on the top of the head, but she flowed away from the full impact of the blow and slipped back, smiling cheekily.

The Oto-nin grabbed at his gut with his real hand, glaring at the girl as he tried to pry out the finger-length crystal shard she'd left embedded in his abdomen.

"Do you like it?" She asked flirtatiously. "It's a little piece of myself, just for you."

"No thanks, I don't know where you've been. Sing," Dosu muttered in response, using the soundwaves to shatter the crystal, earning a petulant pout from the girl once again.

"You're no fun," She said gloomily.

"What you think doesn't matter either, so long as I win!" Dosu fired back, charging the girl with another sweep of his claws.

Kaeru simply smiled and spread her arms as the claws ripped into her chest, tangling in the mesh wiring of her cloak in a way that the earlier stab hadn't.

Kaeru grabbed the false arm, slipping her fingers into the sound holes, with the other, she grabbed his facewraps,

"And now, you're dead," She said, eyes flickering fully purple a moment before her skin flushed the same color.

With one last twisted smile, the girl melted into slime, flowing along the ooze trails of her arms to engulf her opponent's head in purple ichor, and sending a portion into the weapon arm itself.

"Breath in sweetie," she said, words bubbling out of the amorphous mass "It's so much better once I'm inside... It's been so... long..."

Dosu struggled, clawing at the slime covering his face with his biological hand, beginning to panic as he felt the vibrations of Whismur's cries through where the metal arm attacked to his scarred shoulder.

His metal arm exploded, sprouting crystalline spikes along it's length similar to the one Kaeru had stabbed him with earlier, and the girl giggled when his struggling intensified as the boy opened his mouth and tried to scream out his anger, but the ooze flowed into his mouth and down into his lungs.

"Scream and cry. Drown, and then die!" the Naka girl sang cheerfully, reforming again and again as her victim's fingers clawed through her gelatinous form.

"LLLLLOUUUUUDDD!"

The metal arm exploded once more, releasing the glowing, shifting form of Loudred, as Banshee evolved, and announced it's presence with a Roar of enormous proportions, shattering and scattering the crystalline pieces that Kaeru had used to destroy her partner's weapon.

"Drrrrredddd," The pokemon growled, turning it's attention to the bulk still attached to Dosu's head, sending another roar at the attacking mass, which quivered and flowed, but remained attached.

The slime-girl giggled as the ripples flowed through her, and Loudred's large eyes narrowed as it took in the situation, trying to see things as her partner would...

The pokemon stepped up, grabbing her unconscious partner by the shoulders, and in a move that finally elicited a cry of surprise from the gelatinous girl, bit down on Dosu's head and swallowed.

The slime-creature Kaeru had become reacted predictably to being sucked into the beasts belly, crystallizing itself into spikes and blades in an attempt to escape, but Banshee turned it's head away from Dosu and Screeched for all it was worth, shattering the fragile formations even as they grew.

In under a minute, it was over, and all that remained of the girl from Naka was a line of purple slime from Dosu's first stab, and a lot of broken crystals.

The proctor knelt to inspect Dosu, who remained unconscious and was turning an unhealthy shade of blue, but was met by Benge, who simply flowed out of his shadow looking over the boy with a bitter frown on his white face.

"Medic!" the creepy man shouted needlessly, as they were already hurrying over.

Hayate didn't miss the man's shadow absorbing a few of the larger crystal fragments as he hovered over the unconscious boy.

"Is she dead?" Hayate asked directly, but the secretive assassin just shrugged and winked, before falling into his shadow as fast as if the ground had opened up and swallowed him.

"Since neither contestant is able to continue, this match is considered a double elimination," Hayate decided with a frown, looking to the Hokage for accord.

Sarutobi nodded his consent, and the events continued.

Banshee would have probably objected, but the pokemon had rushed off with the medics, who were in an understandable hurry to get the boy's lungs clear.

* * *

"Eighth match: Sakura Haruno versus Kiba Inuzuka, Both of Konoha," he announced loudly.

"Alright!" Kiba cheered, pointing towards Team Seven. "Sorry guys, but we're payin' you back for taking out Shino!"

"You wish Bone Breath!" Naruto fired back, stepping towards the boy and puffing out his chest boldly. "Bark all you want, but Sakura-chan's still gonna whoop ya!"

"Yeah, if we were still in the academy maybe," Kiba scoffed, hopping up onto the railing. "But this ain't no schoolwork, this is the read deal, and she ain't never gonna beat us!"

Akamaru growled and yipped twice in agreement, and Kiba smirking confidently. snubbed his nose at the blond brat and hopped backwards off the balcony, Cranidos roared in accord and dove down to join him, passing through the bars rather than leaping over them.

"You should probably get down there soon," Sasuke muttered, eyeing the girl speculatively.

"You bet!" Sakura agreed. "Thanks, I'll pay you back, promise."

"You better!" Karin replied testily. "That was expensive!"

"Huh? What was?" Naruto asked, looking rather confusedly between the crowd that was his team.

"Don't worry about it, Dobe," Sasuke replied smugly. "Just be happy you helped."

* * *

"You ready to lose?" Kiba asked when Sakura joined him on the floor, the girl having walked sedately into position, obviously checking her gear as she took the time to plan.

"If I were, I'd have forfeited," She replied. "I'm a lot stronger than I used to be, and I plan to win."

"Since you both seem so eager to get started... Begin!" Hayate announced, vanishing in a swirl of wind that kicked up some of the remaining crystal dust from the prior match.

"Ninja art: Shikyaku no Jutsu!" Kiba said, immediately activating the core technique of his clan.

The Inuzuka boy dropped to place his hands on the floor, as the nails on both hands and fleet lengthened into sharp points, and his muscles filled with enhancing chakra.

"Here I come!" Kiba shouted, launching himself forward, aiming for a quick win courtesy of an elbow to the girl's gut.

But Kiba wasn't the only one who had prepared a jutsu, and Sakura already had her hands set in a rat seal when he connected, slamming into and plowing through the column of loose mud she'd replaced herself with.

"You're not the only one with a few new tricks!" Sakura declared, her fingers in a familiar cross sign. "Kage Bushin no jutsu!"

Three copies burst into existence around the girl, all looking smugly confident, one even twirling a kunai on her finger.

"Craaaa!" Kiba's pokemon ally called, rushing past his muddy master and leaping into the air to land in the center of the gathering of girls with a stone-shattering headbutt. _(Take Down)_

Sakura, all of her, leapt away before the blast, and Eevee charged in between a pair, slamming into the Cranidos in the brief moment it spent with it's face buried in the hole it made in the tunnel riddled floor. _(Quick Attack)_

Cranidos howled as Eevee knocked it onto it's side, skull-spikes breaking pieces off the floor as it's head was forcibly removed from the trapping stone, but rose easily, roaring angrily in the face of Eevee's following attack.

Eevee ended up with a mouth full of stone-hard skull, as Cranidos slammed it's primary weapon into her mouth, cutting the Bite attack short.

Cranidos crouched protectively as Eevee gnawed on her opponent, attempting to garner some benefit from the arguably successful attack, but the small dinosaur slapped it's short foreclaws into the ground, where a number of the scattered stones began to glow.

A thrust of it's claws towards Eevee was all it took to send those stones hammering into her small body, forcing her back blow by blow. _(Stone Edge)_

Sakura and her clones charged, splitting into pairs to deal with Kiba and his puppy, the kunai wielding one launching the weapon to redirect the animal, which had attempted to join the boy upon his attack's failure.

Kiba spun towards the pair aiming for him, scooping up two handfuls of sticky mud as he did and lobbing them towards the clones' faces, charging in after with just as much speed as his earlier attack had displayed.

Neither one reacted, continuing forward even as the globs, and Kiba's clawed fingers slipped through their forms.

Having anticipated some resistance, Kiba stumbled his recovery, but caught himself quickly and turned back to the obvious bushins.

"You're fakes!" Kiba realized, as the pair stood staring at his with smug expressions that could have only have been inspired by a certain Uchiha.

"Are we?" One questioned, looking to the other and putting a finger to her chin coyly. "I could have sworn you were the real one?"

"Me? Oh, stop it you flatter," The other replied, obviously ignoring Kiba as she hid her face in a false blush.

"Release!" Kiba called loudly, pulsing his chakra towards the genjutsu constructs in an attempt to disrupt their cohesion.

The basic bushins wavered for a moment, before solidifying once more when Sakura clamped down with her perfect control.

Both faux females turned matching glares on the boy, who was reminded eerily of his mother, and the punishment she could dish out when irked.

Punishment he had felt a great many times over the years.

"That... was very rude!" they said, perfectly synchronized, a simple task for the puppet pair.

"So what? You ain't real?" Kiba fired back, stepping aggressively towards the fakes, his posture clearly stating his intent to barrel right through towards the real fight.

"Maybe not," one agreed.

"But things are about to get very, very, real," The other finished, and at that, both faded like mist.

Beyond them, the truth of their words was proven.

The last two Sakuras were with Akamaru, one smug and superior, standing like the other two, but the other...

The final girl, the real Sakura, had Akamaru pinned to the floor, one hand bracing his skull, with her knee pinning his hindquarters.

And in her free hand, a kunai, held level with her eyes, ready to stab downward in a moment's notice.

Kiba didn't give her that moment, didn't even leave her a chance to make her threat, or demand his surrender, or anything else.

He just threw himself into the attack.

"Gatsūga!" He howled, spinning himself into the twisting whirlwind of his preferred clan technique.

The standing one let out some sound of surprise and fled, but Kiba barely noticed, with his attention solely focused on the threat to his oldest friend.

That Sakura too, didn't flinch or even blink in the face of his fury, not even when his attack hit her squarely, tearing apart the dense clay forming it's body, flinging pieces everywhere.

And then the illusion fell, revealing the deadly kunai for what it really was, an innocuous glass vial, which also broke apart, scattering it's contents on the winds of Kiba's attack.

"What the hell!?" Kiba yowled, grabbing his nose and crushing it closed as the stench of an entire bottle of perfume assaulted his senses, more than a little of which now covered himself and Akamaru.

"And now, your Inuzuka tracking techniques are useless," Sakura said proudly, from the center of the arena.

"Tracking?" Kiba repeated questioningly. "That's what this damn stink is all about?"

"I'll have you know that was a very expensive perfume you dumb bastard!" Karin shouted back from the balcony, earning a snicker from her cousin.

"Well it still smells like cat piss!" Kiba yelled back. "But seriously, we're in a stone box, where the hell are you planning to go?"

"You'll see..." Sakura replied, forming seals quickly but carefully, weaving from one hand to the other, in a nearly hypnotic display that even Kurenai, who had returned once Hinata was well sedated, found impressive for her rank.

"Or better yet... You won't! Demonic art: Konohagakure no jutsu!"

The area genjutsu activated, a tree growing from floor to roof in mere moments, absorbing Sakura into it's expanding trunk and shielding her from view.

Even when the giant construct reached the ceiling, it continued to expand, branches snaking across the roof, budding limbs and leaves at random, until the stone was all but impossible to see.

And then the leaves began to fall by the hundreds, filling the room with a flurry of sound, shape, and color.

There was no rhyme or reason to the kind which fell, appearing in every shade allowed by nature, and in every pattern known to the girl.

Sakura winced at the sudden drop in her chakra, more than half her developing reserves being poured into this one jutsu...

But she knew she had no chance against Kiba in a fair fight, and one of Kurenai-sensei's students wouldn't be taken in by anything but her strongest genjutsu.

Kiba chuckled as he dug out one of his few soldier pills, popping it into his mouth and biting down with a loud crunch, grinning cockily as he felt his chakra and vigor surge in response.

"Release!" He roared, channeling a blast of that extra chakra into the air around him, just as his teacher had taught him.

Sakura gasped as she focused on maintaining the genjutsu through the expected attack, growling as Kiba's surprisingly potent chakra wave drained her own reserves even further in direct competition to each other.

She let her chakra ride the wave of Kiba's, conforming and bending with the disruption, rather than resisting it, a demonstration of her considerable control.

It was all over in an instant, a battle of strength versus skill that not even the entirety of their jounin spectators fully appreciated.

The gamble paid off, and the genjutsu remained, though Sakura grimly realized that she no longer had the chakra to maintain it for longer than a few minutes.

But that was fine, she wasn't going to win by standing around and hiding behind a illusion until her reserves ran dry anyway, she had to attack and trust Eevee to do the same.

"Fine!" Kiba roared into the veil. "Hide all you want, it won't help you win! Akamaru, Doku, to me!"

Sakura smiled and crept in the direction of his call. She had expected this reaction from her own experiences with Zabuza's mist.

It was a nuisance that the area jutsu was nearly as blinding to herself as to her opponent, but she wasn't willing to bet on her ability to insinuate her one mentally invasive jutsu into the mind of someone trained by the Mistress of Genjutsu herself...

At least not yet.

Kiba retrieved the last two soldier pills, one for each of his allies, emergency supplies which were considered restricted access for most ninja, due to the potentially addictive nature of the stimulants they contained.

The first he flicked to Akamaru, the puppy's fur and demeanor shifting quickly as the medicine took effect.

Doku appeared, exactly as expected, charging full tilt with it's head down and braced for impact.

The predictable pokemon was even more straight forward in it's dealings than Kiba, to the team's occasional detriment.

It had however developed a healthy respect for Shino, after the third or fourth bug infested pit trap it had fallen into during training.

Kiba dodged his Cranidos partner and sent the final pill arcing towards him, once it had identified it's evasive target properly.

Doku straightened almost instantly, skidding to a halt and hopped towards the treat, maw gaping eagerly.

It caught four paws to the chest instead, as Eevee leapt from the leaves around them, landing on it's chest and pushed away, knocking the Cranidos flat on his back.

She also snatched the pill out of the air as she attacked. _(Covet)_

Eevee landed in the center of the trio, eyes wide and fairly bouncing as she twitched and yipped involuntarily in time with her rapid breathing.

"Vi, vi, vi, VI!" She hiccuped as the potent medicine took effect.

"Serves you right you mangy little thief," Kiba scowled, grabbing the pokemon by the scruff of the neck. "Strong isn't it?"

"Ee? VII!" She replied cheekily, this time launching a Round attack in conjunction.

Kiba tried to dodge the sonic attack, but wasn't even close to successful, catching it on his chest instead of his face.

Thankfully for Eevee, he dropped her when the medicinally enhanced attack knocked him back on his ass.

"Vee, ee vi." She said primly, waving her tail like a proud flag of victory.

"Craaa," cooed an upset sounding voice behind her, and she turned to meet the angrily glowing red eyes of her pokemon counterpart. _(Scary Face)_

As soon as she did, Cranidos roared it's name, sheathing itself in white light, which bled towards it's skull bleeding into the bone and leaving it an even brighter blue hue. _(Focus Energy)_

"Vee? Vee Ee Vivivi!" Eevee squeaked in surprise, recovering quickly and matching her enemy's preparations with her own Work Up, blue sparks flickering across her fur.

"Dos! Dos nidi!" Doku roared back, Dropping it's head and rushing at Eevee. _(Take Down)_

"Vee!" Eevee thrilled in return, mimicking Doku and charging to meet him. _(Take Down as well)_

Eevee dodged at the last instant, sidestepping Cranidos' deadly skull and leaping in to slam Doku in the side.

Cranidos growled, and rotated on one leg, swinging his heavy head into a sidelong slam into Eevee, hitting heavily thanks to his Focus Energy, and sending her tumbling.

Doku took to the air, leaping to land with one foot on Eevee, who yelped in pain. _(Assurance)_

"EeeeeeeVEE!" She ground out, gathering her senses and latching onto the pinning leg with a hard chomp. _(Bite)_

Cranidos roared in pain and jerked away, allowing Eevee to gain her feet and escape.

"Dosss!" Doku hissed at Eevee who limped slightly as she circled with a fanged scowl.

"Vee! Vivivi!" She fired back, leaping directly at him and trailing a pristine glow behind her.

Doku braced himself to counter, but Eevee circled again rounding opposite of the direction she had earlier, but orbiting his body to smash the same spot on the Cranidos' side that she had moments before.

Before Doku could counter, she was away and circling with her Quick Attack again.

She darted in time and again, hitting the Rock-type dino with one slam after another.

"Craa! Nido nido dos!" Doku called, stamping his feet as two rings of loose stone materialized around his body, one by one the outer ring fired after Eevee, forcing the pokemon puppy to evade while Cranidos crouched lower, eyes closed in concentration. _(Stone Edge)_

With a roar of release, Cranidos unleashed a wave of light from his skull, which crawled down his body, leaving Doku's stone-like flesh pristine in it's wake. _(Rock Polish- Speed increase move. Side effect: damage hidden, not healed.)_

"Vee?" Eevee questioned, unsettled by the complete absence of evidence of her efforts to defeat Doku.

"Craaa!" He roared, charging after the puppy, which dodged, evading and escaping in a half dozen directions, thanks to a quick use of Double Team.

The ancient pokemon roared loud enough to rattle the contestant's bones, and took off into the swirling leaves in full Pursuit of the fleeing forms. _(Pursuit)_

Kiba's unintended flight was ended by himself, or a damn good facsimile

"Akamaru, you are the man!" Kiba said thankfully. "Now let's go show that chick who's top-"

His suggestion was cut short when the chick in question slipped up and delivered two quick jabs to his chin.

The beast cloned Akamaru lunged for her, but Sakura was already gone, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to match the pair on her own in a blow for blow brawl.

"Huh," Kiba muttered, massaging his jaw. "You know, I didn't think it would, but that actually kinda hurt..."

"So glad you approve!" Sakura growled from behind him, punctuating the comment by punching the pair in the backs of their heads.

This one actually did hurt, and Kiba staggered a bit, hands flying to the back of his skull as his eyes teared involuntarily.

Akamaru for all his youth, reacted faster, moving with the force of the blow to sweep a clawed hand towards his attacker, though he caught nothing more than the cloth of her dress as she yet again fled into her genjutsu hide.

Sakura grimaced and flexed her fingers.

Kiba's head had to be nearly as hard as the kunai she'd been holding when she punched him that time.

Apparently her hopes for an easy knockout weren't meant to be, though she acknowledged grimly, that if he's been one of those Sound slimeballs, she'd probably have just used the kunai's blade and ended it for good.

"Alright, that's it. No more freebies," Kiba swore bitterly. "Akamaru, time to slash and burn!"

Sakura abandoned her next attack as the pair threw themselves into twin whirlwinds of slicing claws, questing outward in a buzzing circle each one passing her time and again as she moved and dodged, until eventually one spotted and turned for her, chasing even faster than she could evade.

She managed to pull herself away with a timely Kawarimi, falling to her hands and knees as the effort dipped her chakra reserves worryingly low.

She grabbed for the genjutsu instinctively, trying to shore up the construct before it collapsed and left her vulnerable, draining her reserves even lower, but succeeding to a degree.

Panting and planning, she realized that she was almost out of time and options, and allowed the illusion to fade to a drizzle, then vanish completely.

The two whirlwinds of canine fury redirected, aiming to strike her full on and claim the win.

And then she collapsed into a limp pile.

They redirected again, landing a safe distance away, looking between each other, Sakura, and the calmly approaching Proctor.

"Rrf, rowf, grrmble, rrfh?" One Kiba growled to the other, which nodded and began to approach the fallen girl, his heavy steps just fast enough that he would arrive before Hayate.

In a panic, Eevee ended it's flight from the still angry Cranidos, spinning a sweep of it's tail to launch dust and dirt from the damaged floor into Doku's face, leaping clear over it and racing to her partner with the assistance of Quick Attack. _(Sand Attack)_

Kiba sped up in response, aiming a powerful kick into the pokemon's snarling face.

An instant before the kick could be launched, Sakura surged to her feet, one hand grabbing for the boy, the other bringing a kunai in to stab at his side.

An instant before she could connect, 'Kiba' burst into smoke, and Eevee yelped in pain as Akamaru went for the pokemon dog's throat, literally.

An instant before Sakura could aid her partner, her kunai bearing arm was jerked up to make room for the real Kiba, who ended the fight just the way he tried to begin it: burying a high speed elbow slam into her diaphragm.

Though when she began to slip off and to the floor, Kiba grabbed her and put her there forcefully, one sharp-clawed hand around her trachea, just to be sure.

Eevee stilled it's struggles when Cranidos approached, pinning her tail with his foot and staring in a way that practically dared her to try fighting again.

"Winner by knockout, Kiba Inuzuka," Hayate announced.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called down. "You did great!"

"Did you actually see any of that?" Sasuke asked dryly, referencing the veiling genjutsu, more than Sakura's failure to win.

"Shut up, Teme," Naruto growled without looking back at the smug bastard.

"Sorry man, I think I hit her too hard that time," Kiba yelled up as he handed Sakura off to the medic. "She may be out for a while..."

"She'll be fine in a day or two," the medic added, easily confident in his assessment of the simple injury.

"Kiba... so help me, if you hurt her..." Naruto threatened, blocking the boy's walk when he finally made it upstairs.

"Yeah yeah, you heard the doc, she'll be fine. Go visit her while she's still there and giver her a flower or something, you can thank me later," Kiba said, a bright smile on his face as he clapped his old buddy on the shoulder. "Just do me a favor when ya do: Bring Hinata one, 'kay? She'll appreciate the hell out of it, trust me."

"I dunno..." Naruto replied dubiously, though he did really like the idea of bringing Sakura such a gift while she would pretty much have to accept it. He could bring her lunch too, she would appreciate that.

"Hey, trust me, okay?" Kiba cajoled. "have I ever steered ya wrong?"

"Yes." Naruto replied bluntly. "Remember the time you tried to help me get one of your nin-ken and your mom's dogs tried to eat us?"

"It wasn't that bad!" Kiba argued. "And how was I supposed to know Kuromaru and Komoeru stuck around? Mom was on a mission!"

"That Arcanine tried to cook me!" Naruto countered. "And the other one said I'd be delicious!"

"Risk. Reward." Kiba said, holding out a hand to each side.

"Singed pants," he said, wiggling one. "Talking dog," he finished, wiggling the other.

Naruto looked at the boy and picked up Kirlia, displaying her pointedly, though he didn't notice the apprehensive expression she sent towards the Inuzuka.

"Talking pokemon," Naruto said, before turning to reveal his butt to the boy and shaking it for emphasis. "And perfect pants."

"Your mom's mean ol' dogs can keep their puppies, cause I won in the end," he declared proudly.

"Fine, I'll let you have that point, but aside from that time-"

"There was also the time we tried to sneak into the vet place and-"

"Okay, I get it. I have bad ideas, let it go!" Kiba growled, his face flushed from the remembered punishment Hana had leveled on him for that particular stunt.

"Just give it a chance, okay?" He pressed. "She ain't got many friends, and it won't mean much if just her team visits, cause we will no matter what, you know?"

"...Alright. But just cause I'll be there to visit Sakura-chan."" Naruto agreed hesitantly, almost forced to by the idea of someone being stuck alone in the hospital.

He'd been in that position more than once over the years, and it sucked.

"Good enough for me," Kiba grinned, slapping his buddy on the shoulder once more.

"_This could end up hurting your teammate you know," _Kirlia pointed out quietly to Kiba.

"_Could." _Kiba replied flippantly._ "But just cause it might burn your ass once in a while is no reason to give up good curry."_

"_There's a bit more at risk here than a case of indigestion!"_ Kirlia fired back, scorn coloring her words red.

"_Yeah, risk!" _Kiba retorted with just as much heat. _"Might. Maybe. Chances and gambles. Don't think we didn't catch you saying that shit to Hinata again before her match!"_

"_Wha- How?"_ Kirlia asked in surprise.

"_You ain't as sneaky as you think. She's our teammate, and when someone's hurting her, we know. It's what we do." _Kiba replied grimly. _"We know when somethin' you said is bothering her, just like that bastard Neji. We might not know what you're saying to her, and I really don't give a damn, but I'll tell ya this."_

Kiba locked eyes with her, his power still pulsing from the soldier pill in his gut.

"_You keep messing with my pack, and you'll be fighting a lot more than Shino next time."_

"_I... I understand," _Kirlia replied somberly, sending the impression of humility and respect towards the boy, rather than display them physically and clue Naruto in on the troubling conversation.

Kiba nodded firmly, and looked towards the match in progress, prompting Kirlia to do the same.

Though she saw little of it, wondering as she was on the issue at hand.

Could she be trying to protect Naruto's heart by crushing someone else's?

* * *

End chapter 15.

Sorry it's just the four matches, but I got writer's block on a couple parts, but I hope it's good overall.

I've seen a few times where a Hyuuga, often Hinata ends up fighting Misumi and cakewalking the fight because 'Uses chakra to move = weak against Juuken'. I considered that for a while after Hinata drew the guy, and decided it would be a boring match, and that in one sense it doesn't really work logically. In order to fight the way he did against Kankuro, Misumi had to be fairly well saturated with chakra just to move and bend and such. I hope the way he was portrayed was interesting enough to make him less boring, even if he won't be coming back hehe. (And yes, Hinata killed a traitor to the Leaf completely by accident, so... *shrug* Too many hits to the head and too much stress on her mind.)

A reviewer pointed out that 'I had the dumb' (My words, not theirs, it's a fun phrase to say) because I had forgotten to include the elemental alignments in last chapter's AN, so I'll cover this chapter and last, along with my reasons for those ninja to appear.

Lee: Fighting, pure and only, for now. Easy to determine, but added for completion's sake. Fire and Normal were also suggested, but in the end it seems to be the obvious and fitting choice.

Temari: Flying(Wind), near as I can tell, this is cannon. Not sure if or when she'll get a second element, but as one of the few characters to reveal some capacity for flight, it'd be hard to argue otherwise. Electricity was also suggested for her, which could be an interesting potential development in the future.

Chouji: Normal/Water. Chouji got a lot of variety in his suggestions. Rock, Steel, Ground, Fighting, Grass, Normal, and Water were all suggested, but in the end his lack of elemental moves led me towards Normal. (Which traditionally has the highest HP in the games) However, one suggestion I could not ignore gave him his secondary: The human body is about seventy-five percent water, and that is what his techniques center on. That his temper could be compared to water, gentle and ferocious, supports it.

Tenten: Steel Another easy one, though Wind, Psychic, Normal, Fire and Fighting were all suggested as well. Not sure what her eventual secondary will be, but she's got a lot of potential regardless of what it is.

Kankuro: Poison/Grass. Steel and Psychic were both suggested, but in the end, I figure his puppets are mostly wood, and he relies heavily on poison, which seems traditional for puppeteers.

Shino: Bug. Another obvious choice, though Poison, Dark, and Ice were all suggested as well. He's another one I want a secondary for, just gotta decide what. Poison has obvious applications, and Ice sounds like it could be cool, but Dark works well with his strategic battle style. (Is my presence so easy to overlook? Beetlesphere!) Shino is just all kinds of badass, and I want to capture that properly.

Hinata: Ghost. Probably not surprising, but Hinata got a lot of suggestions. Psychic, Fire, Water, Dragon, Grass, Fighting, Normal, and Ice were all suggested, some of them for very good reasons, but eventually I settled on my initial leaning of Ghost. She's wanted to fade into the background for years, as well as being an outcast and shy. These traits all seem to fit well. Not sure what her secondary will become, but I'm keeping my notes, it's entirely possible she, or others will evolve over time. (certainly this chapter didn't have her playing the wallflower)

Shikamaru: Dark. This seems obvious at first, unless you know that Ghost is more closely linked to Shadow moves than Dark element. Ghost was suggested, along with Psychic, Normal, and Poison. I chose Dark, not because of his Kagemane, but because of the nature of Dark type moves in the games: Pursuit-Double damage if the foe tries to flee this turn. Assurance- Double damage if the foe has taken damage from someone else this turn. Foul Play- Turns the attacker's Strength against itself. Just a few examples, but all illustrate the trait that Shika has in spades: Understand what the enemy is gonna do and attack accordingly. Looking at it from that angle, and I cannot think of a better Element for the Lazy genius.

Kiba: Fire/Wind. Much like with his Pokemon, Kiba was a bit of a nuisance. Fighting, Ground, Normal, Dark, and Rock were all suggested, but I chose Fire due to it matching his personality and temper rather well, and Wind due to a reviewer pointing out that it would actually help explain how he can steer his Gatsuga attacks.

That should do it for this A/N, so I'll sign off here. Hope ya enjoyed, and thank ya for reading,

-Mhyrloc


	16. Eye for an Eye

Disclaimer: See Chapter one.

A day late, and after December stuff, way more than a dollar short.

* * *

"Moving onto the ninth match," Hayate announced as the new combatants made their way to the floor. "Kin Tsuchi of Otogakure versus Kabuto Yakushi of Konoha"

Kabuto paced down, eyeballing his injured opponent and ignoring Yoroi's unsolicited comments.

Kin was awoken by their disguised master, and guided to her feet with surprising gentleness.

Orochimaru sent the girl on her way with a soft push and some murmured words of encouragement, meeting Kabuto's eyes over her head with the slightest of smiles.

Kabuto quirked an eyebrow, subtly asking for orders, while directing the majority of his gaze at the girl.

Orochimaru put his hands to his hips and just kept watching Kin limp down the stairs and blew out an exaggerated sigh, sending an apologetic look towards Kabuto, who frowned and met the man's gaze fully.

Kin's sensei shrugged helplessly, and leaned back against the wall to watch the event.

The medic's frown deepened as he realized that Orochimaru had stepped back and given him leave to decide the flow of this match himself.

Watching the girl move, he could count more than a dozen injuries which he could easily use to disable or kill her as soon as the battle began.

But that might complicate things...

In the end, Kabuto simply waited as the girl made her way down, slowed by her wounds but still making better time than a number of her predecessors.

Hayate stepped towards the girl, leaning in to talk quietly when she had finally made it into position.

"While it is entirely your decision at this point, I would be remiss if I didn't encourage you to forfeit the match while you still have the chance," he advised sincerely.

"Never..." Kin swore, glaring bitterly at the boy standing between herself and a chance to redeem her failures in the forest.

Kabuto smiled kindly, earning a scowl from the girl.

"Very well, I wish you the best," Hayate said softly, fully believing that the best she could hope for was a fast and non-lethal defeat.

"Match nine... Begin!" He announced, resuming a more professional demeanor for that moment, before he retreated to the dais once more.

"He's right you know," Kabuto commented airily, pushing up his glasses with his left hand, while his right flipped open the small pouch at his leg and retrieved one of the meticulously maintained scalpels he stored within.

"As a fully trained medical ninja, I can assure you, if you attempt to fight me, your injuries will become quite permanent..." He promised matching her glare with a bland expression.

"You aren't going to intimidate me into quitting you four-eyed piece of trash!" Kin snapped back, breathing heavily as she whipped out two fistfuls of senbon and sending them out with a wave of her hands.

Kabuto's sharp eyes caught the hitch in her right shoulder as it refused to move properly, as well as the momentary lockup in her leg and lower back when he rushed through the gap in her spikes made by that hitch and slashed at her throat with the scalpel.

He missed, but only just, which was slightly disconcerting to him.

Kin recovered from her moment of pain with respectable alacrity, anchoring herself with her less mobile leg and launching a hasty kick at Kabuto with the other, almost catching him in the gut as he slipped away.

As Kin rotated into the attack, Chingling released her long hair, throwing itself towards Kabuto with both rope-like limbs reaching.

Kabuto swiped his scalpel at them, forcing one back, but the other wound around his wrist, and with a sharp tug, the bell pokemon propelled itself at his face.

He yelped, more than a little honestly, and turned his face away, taking the blow in the side of the head, rather than right in his face.

Kabuto staggered back from the blow, and Chingling opened her mouth wide, multicolored light sparking within as the pokemon prepared a point blank Psyshock.

Chingling levitated over Kabuto, putting her level with the top of his head, and even with Kecleon, who took the moment to appear, skin flashing in a series of scintillating colors before he opened his mouth with a hiss, tongue firing at full speed for Chingling's eyes.

Just before it would have hit, the tongue retracted, and an unseen clubbing tail slammed into the floating Psychic-type from below. _(Fake Out)_

Chingling spun in the air wildly, floating backwards as the energy she'd been charging fizzled in a shower of multicolored sparks.

Kabuto brought his feet back under himself and rose to meet Kin's attack, sliding sideways to dodge a trio of thrown senbon, and catching her punching arm by the wrist, twisting it and letting the needles she'd held between her fingers fall to the ground.

She swung in with her free hand, stabbing in with another senbon to his side, but that attack too was caught.

"Well now... You didn't plan that too well, did you?" Kabuto taunted, leaning down to look the shaking girl in the eye as he forced her arms to move as he wished.

"Think so?" Kin asked, confident despite her fearful shuddering...

_'No, because of it!' _Kabuto realized as the ringing of bells filled his ears, bells sewn into the folds of her camouflage colored skirt after the battle against Team Seven.

"It's over," Kin muttered, ripping her hands free of his and reorienting her earlier stab into one aimed for his temple.

"-lease!" Kabuto shouted, pulsing his chakra to shatter the genjutsu and falling sideways away from the attack, before planting his palm on the floor of the arena and snapping a solid kick into the still turning girl's kidney.

Kin's breath caught in her throat as she folded over the foot in her side, sobbing involuntarily at the pain, until Kabuto retracted his limb and allowed the girl to collapse on the ground, both hands grabbing the injury.

"Just give it up already, you're beat and you know it," Kabuto suggested, watching the girl rise in agony to her feet, one hand still glued to her side, which was beginning to stain red with blood.

"Never," Kin gasped, forcing herself back into a stable stance and drawing more of her weapons.

"Such stubbornness," Kabuto observed with a smirk. "You do realize that you have a compound fracture in at least one rib now, right?"

"That doesn't matter. I will not fail my master!" Kin ground out, firing off a trio of senbon and shifting into a position that better guarded her damaged side.

Kabuto didn't even blink as Kecleon appeared briefly upon his head, tongue flashing out and slapping the weapons away.

Kin nearly flinched at how carelessly her opponent dismissed her attack, but staunchly held her ground, and her determined expression.

"I admit I'm impressed at your tenacity, but you know that you'll be useless to everybody if you're permanently disabled here," Kabuto pointed out.

"So what? I won't let you damn Leaf ninja humiliate us!" Kin shouted back. "I'm the last one! The last Sound ninja here! I can't just... just quit!"

"And you're shouldering the village's entire hope to attend the finals, hmm?" Kabuto observed, putting his chin in his palm as he eyed her. "An impressive feat for a village as young as your own..."

The barely visible zigzag stripe of his Kecleon flared with a rainbow of color as the reptilian pokemon reappeared, heralding a ray of identically hued energy, firing straight into the air. _(Psybeam)_

Meeting the Psyshock Chingling had fired straight down in an explosion or Psychic energy.

"Kek. Kek, kleo," it said shifting color from it's natural green to a grey-bleached purple.

"No," Kabuto said, looking up from his pondering. "I think that's enough, I forfeit."

"What!?" Kin shouted, a sentiment echoed by Zaku, Yoroi and a handful of others, though the proctor simply declared the end to the match.

"This is my seventh attempt at the exam," Kabuto replied simply. "And admittedly, this is the best chance I've ever had to make the finals myself, but I really don't see much reason to get there."

"In all honestly, I don't have an interest in being a chunin and leading missions, when I would be of much better use here in the village, or assisting on the aid missions that true medics are sent on."

"So... you're just giving up then? Just like that?" Kin asked, aghast.

"Well, yes?" Kabuto replied, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I wasn't all that keen on fighting an injured opponent anyway... and this way I can get out of injuring you more than I have already, while you can make your teacher happy..."

"I... guess so?" Kin answered, swaying on her feet as the surprise, and sudden drop in adrenaline caught up to her.

In a blink, Kabuto was within her guard and under her shoulder, saving her from a painful encounter with the stone floor.

"Come on, let's get your wounds treated," Kabuto said softly, nearly carrying her from the room and towards the waiting medic team.

Kin tried to protest, but fell silent when trying to push away from him simply caused her broken rib to twist painfully within her.

"It's generally good manners for a pretty lady to accept honest assistance when it's offered," Kabuto teased with a wink.

"From a village of perverts? As if." Kin snapped back, though she did settle down, if only for her own sake.

"Ah... Well, we're not all like that," Kabuto replied, embarrassed once more. "But if it'll make you feel better, I'll see to it that you get a female medic."

"That... would be appreciated," Kin replied, a bit taken aback the kind offer.

As the two made their slow way out of the arena, Hayate made his way back into it, shaking his head at the unusual events that seemed to be taking place this exam.

He turned his attention to the swiftly cycling names on the screen, and pushed the audacity of the battles that had unfolded.

"Tenth match: Ino Yamanaka of Konoha, versus Ao of Nakagakure," he announced once they had settled.

"Yes! This is great!" Ino cheered.

"How exactly is this good news?" Shikamaru muttered, though his tone illustrated how little he apparently cared about the answer.

"Are you serious? I could have had to fight Sasuke-kun!" Ino explained, whacking him on the shoulder familiarly.

"Or that creepy sand guy," Chouji pointed out helpfully, causing the girl to twitch fearfully.

"I was trying not to remember him," Ino growled at the large boy, though she was even more thankful at her chosen opponent now.

"Yeah... sorry," Chouji muttered, looking rather ashamed of his comment.

"Just forget about it Chouji, you know how she gets," Shika commented without changing his indolent position leaning against the rail.

"And how exactly 'do I get', Shikamaru Nara?" Ino asked almost genuinely angry.

"Troublesome. Always troublesome," The boy muttered. "Now get down there before you get disqualified and we have to hear you complain about it for the next six months."

Ino shot a look down to where her opponent was already waiting and glared at her lazy teammate.

"This little chat isn't over, and you know it!" She said, before turning sharply and dashing off, her long blond hair flapping behind her like a flag.

"Do you have to rile her up so much?" Chouji asked quietly as he watched the girl and her bouncy blue Oddish make their way down.

"Nah, but it is fun," Shikamaru replied with a wry smile. "Besides, long as she's taking it out on some other poor bastard, it's a good thing, right?"

Ino stalked across the floor towards her opponent, who unlike his compatriots, had left his cloak hanging on the rail where he had been standing.

To her credit, she barely hesitated at his unusual appearance, having long known about the stranger members of ninja society from her clan lessons.

"So, not gonna hide and be all spooky like the other two?" Ino asked tauntingly.

"It would only get in my way," Ao replied calmly.

"Yeah, wouldn't wanna trip over your hem and lose too quickly eh?" the blonde shot back with a confident grin.

"Of course not, but if you choose to trip over that ridiculously long hair, don't expect me to wait for you to get back up," her opponent replied matching her expression perfectly.

"Since you're both so eager to get started... Begin!" Hayate announced.

Ino rushed forward, launching a left hook, which flowed into a spinning back kick when Ao dodged, but the boy caught her leg and spun, sending her flying away.

Ino flipped in the air though, and landed on her feet, moving with the rotation to send a trio of kunai flashing towards her opponent.

Instantly one of his wakizashi appeared in Ao's hand, whipping left, right, and up, sending the blades tumbling in those directions.

The boy's free hand stabbed out, catching the center kunai as it fell and sending it flying behind him, forcing Oddish to abandon it's charging attack and dodge the blade that appeared in it's path.

Ino's cocky smirk fell as the boy arched a thin white eyebrow at her, wordlessly berating her for her failed ploy.

"Think you're so great, huh?" Ino asked scornfully.

"Generally? Yes." Ao replied simply, flexing his fingers around a second suddenly appearing sword, this one held defensively in the direction of the pokemon.

"Then we're just going to have to relieve you of that delusion," Ino declared, calling Oddish to her side with a snap of her fingers.

She held her hand out flat, and the pokemon hopped up into it easily.

The pokemon's movement was followed by Ao, his second blade always held between them, just in case.

The sword ceased it's trailing, though the boy's full attention replaced it, when, with a grunt of effort, Ino launched the pokemon towards the roof.

"Ooooodd..." the pokemon bellowed, flipping end over end on it's way to the roof.

The pokemon hit the ceiling feet first, compressing it's short legs to absorb the impact, before pushing off, shooting towards Ao like an arrow, rotating as it flew, it's rustling leaves spreading orange dust that scattered wide, promising to rain down upon the boy if he made any effort to dodge. _(Stun Spore)_

"Diiiiish!" The pokemon cried, fully dedicated to it's attack.

Ao released the blade in his right hand, leaving it to fall, rather than take the momentary effort to reseal it to save precious time, by the time the weapon hit the ground, his fingertip glowed a sullen red, sketching a faint pattern of chakra in the air between himself and the attacking Grass-type.

As he did this, he twisted his left hand under his right arm, weaving the blade still held within it to defend against Ino's opportunistic ranged attacks, batting shuriken and kunai away as best he could with his attention dedicated to the delicate art.

"Tate no Rekka!" Ao said fiercely, the fuinjutsu creation ignited into a partial dome of flame.

The blue boy ducked low, pulling his hand down just before Oddish crashed through the barrier with a yowl of pain, scooping up his fallen weapon in the same motion as he snapped a quick kick to the side, catching the pokemon on it's second bounce and launching it away roughly.

Ao watched impassively as the orange powder filtered down, safe beneath an umbrella of fire.

"Oddish!" Ino cried rushing over to her precious partner as soon as the toxic attack permitted.

While she was occupied, Ao inspected the slight injuries he'd sustained during his distracted defense.

"You'll pay for that!" Ino swore bitterly, scooping her pokemon into her arms carefully, avoiding the burns it had sustained as well as she was able.

"Will that be before, or after, you 'relieve me of my delusion'?" Ao asked blandly, standing with his arms to his sides, though his blades were still in hand and ready.

"You... You! Oddish, Sunny Day!" Ino ordered, nearly spitting the words. "We'll show you what we do to assholes like you!"

The grass pokemon rolled painfully out of her arms, leaves curled into an arc over her small body, encompassing a sphere of brilliant golden energy that intensified quickly.

"Odd...Oddish!" the pokemon shouted, whirling around and sending the orb flying towards the roof, where it impacted in an explosion of pure white energy.

An explosion that refused to contract or dissipate, leaving what looked like a small sun, only a few meters wide stuck to the ceiling.

"You must be confident, if you're planning to work on your tan," Ao commented scathingly, squinting in the bright light as he watched the pair.

"Do it," Ino said quietly, tugging a pair of kunai from her pouch and flipping them into a backwards grip and charging forward.

Ao cocked a curious eye, but met her willingly, blocking and evading her attacks in a nearly dance-like display.

He was caught by surprise when a sweeping slash aimed for his shoulder drew up short, the lack of resistance leaving him off balance enough for the girl's real attack to land.

A twist of the girl's neck left him with a face, and mouth, full of long blonde hair.

The surprisingly resourceful girl took advantage of his momentary blindness to slip around his side and aim a disemboweling slash at his gut, thankfully resisted by his tough leather vest.

"Hmph, better than expected," Ao complimented reluctantly, bringing his arm up in time to hold her secondary stab at bay.

"You don't know the half of it," Ino replied with a sweet smile, calling on a surge of strength to push, not her weapon, but the boy himself away.

"Now!" Ino shouted while he was off balance.

Ao shouted wordlessly in shock, barely dodging a beam of blinding white light that fired toward him, powerful enough that it sheared clean through the blade he'd put out in an instinctive block.

Before he could fully recover, the beam swept towards him, it's terminus trailing along the wall and leaving a deeply burned scar along the stone surface as it moved, though the boy could see little but the attack, and spent more time scrambling than running as the beam circled.

Willing to wager that the girl and pokemon would not endanger their leaders, Ao aimed for the dias, planning to put himself between the pokemon and it, if only to force the seemingly endless attack to cease.

Ino was waiting for him there, and lunged at him eagerly, easily deflecting his unaimed swing with a kunai of her own.

"You're done!" She cheered, latching one hand onto his forehead.

"Shintenshin no jutsu!"

The beam flickered out an instant before it would have met and consumed the connected pair.

"Gloom?" Ino's partner cooed curiously, having held it's evolution for her sake, a trump card Ino had hoped to save for the finals.

* * *

"What a weird place..." Ino whispered, unintentionally awed by the mindscape she found herself in.

This place was like no other she had ever seen, beautiful in a primal sense.

She found herself on a translucent disk, floating in an endless void, lit by an innumerable number of stars.

Sharing the limited space on the small platform was a stone statue, roughly humanoid, kneeling before a flickering flame that lit up the center of the platform.

"Okay, two objects..." Ino pondered. "Fire and stone, form and light... One's the key to this place, and the other... Well, at least it's not Billboard brow's mindscape..."

She'd spent a fair amount of time in Sakura's mind back in the day, and hers was the exact opposite, a library chock full of every tiny piece of information the girl had ever gathered, written there for anyone to read.

Or at least anyone with the patience to ready every single thing in there.

It was actually more than a little intimidating to Ino, once upon a time, at least in comparison to her own, which was a wide and sprawling field of flowers, it's many secrets hidden in the languages of botany and beauty.

"Stone for body, fire for mind," Ino decided at length. "But this guy's cocky, and no dumbass, so to take control..."

The young Yamanaka dropped to her knees and thrust both hands into the platform at her feet, reaching into the mental construct to grab hold of the psychic mass hidden within and squeezing it between her hands.

Instantly the mindscape fell into focus, the stars revealing themselves to be glowing seals, knowledge hidden in pain sight, secrets hidden in the art of fuinjutsu.

More disturbing were the flame and statue, pulsing with power, revealing them to be traps of a nature she could only guess at.

Her perception now bonded to her enemy's, she knew she could untangle the secrets of his techniques, but time was of the essence, and she had no intention of allowing the boy the time to find a way to escape, or herself time to trip any other traps he might have in his mind.

An effort of will, and she vanished from the mindscape, opening her eyes to see the world from her opponent's eyes, just in time to watch her own body collapse to the ground.

Ino swept her arms to the sides, tossing her host body's weapons away carelessly, as she turned to meet the proctor's eyes.

"It's no use, she's too strong," Ao's voice said, as Ino savored the opportunity to make a fool of her foe. "I have no choice but to forfeit."

"Very well then. The winner is Ino Yamanaka!" Hayate announced, to the cheers of the girl's friends, and Ino herself, in Ao's body.

"Gloom? Mmm gloo?" the pokemon cooed, looking between the two fighters.

"Huh, it's me Od-Gloom, really... See? Release!" Ino-in-Ao said quickly, exiting the body, which wavered, but steadied without toppling.

"You're drooling on my foot," Ao said bitterly, glaring at the pokemon, before pushing it towards the fallen girl with his nectar stained shoe.

"You... I had believed my mental defenses sufficient to counter a genin of your clan..." Ao continued as the girl sat up, rubbing at a bump she'd received when her body fell. "You are more... clever than I would have expected."

"Yeah, I'm just that awesome," Ino replied with a wide grin and a victory V. "Clean Sweep for us, take that Team Seven!"

"Awesome? Doubtful... but I will allow that you caught me unawares. I would never have imagined your puny pokemon would have access to a move so powerful as a Solarbeam."

"Hey, I am so awesome, I saw through your little mind trick, and I got Daddy to make Vileplume teach Oddish the best move he could learn!" Ino fired back, on her feet and in Ao's face in an instant.

"Ah, well then I'll agree, your father deserves a great deal of the credit for this victory," Ao replied with a taunting grin. "Perhaps they should promote him to chunin in your stead?"

"You wanna go again you blue bastard!?" Ino growled back.

"Gladly," Ao replied, summoning another pair of weapons to hand.

"As amusing as that may be, the victor has been determined already," Hayate declared, putting himself between the two forcefully. "The decision I made is final, and there is no allowance for rematches, got it?"

"Hear that? I win, you lose," Ino added cockily.

"Fine. Savor this victory, I don't expect you'll see many like it," Ao replied, vanishing his weapons again, and walking away.

Ino glared at the boy as he collected the weapons Ino had thrown away, sealing them away as he had the others, before returning to his position on the balcony, where he stared at her speculatively.

"Bastard," Ino muttered, scooping Gloom into her arms and returning to her own team, purposely taking a longer route to avoid passing too close to her opponent.

Hayate shook his head in dismay as he watched the girl stomp her way back to her team, and the complete turnaround her temper took when her Akimichi ally congratulated her.

The screen settled on the next pair, and he shot quick glance over his shoulder towards it, turning to announce the next match even as the first of the combatants appeared in a swirl of sand.

"Eleventh match: Gaara of Suna, versus Yoroi Akado of Konoha!"

Two of the watching jounin jerked with surprise, eyes meeting as they realized what this match meant.

Equally eager for a fight, Yoroi vaulted the rail and landed easily, walking towards the much younger boy with a swagger that would have been insulting, if Gaara was the kind of boy to care about such meaningless posturing.

"If you're both ready, let the match... Begin!"

"What is the purpose of your existence?" Gaara asked in his dry voice, standing relaxed, arms crossed as he ignored the older ninja's shuriken attack.

The sand that rocketed out of his gourd, wrapping around to shield him, was more than enough to negate such a pathetic attempt on his life.

"What kinda stupid question is that?" Yoroi called back, keeping his distance from the still swirling sand.

"Killing one who's life holds no value is meaningless," Gaara replied, emotion still entirely absent.

"Then I guess it's a good thing you won't be killing me, ain't it?" Yoroi muttered, just loud enough to be heard, running through a few handsigns and grabbing his wrist. "Wouldn't want you wasting your damn time..."

"Not even revenge on the girls who defeated and killed your teammates?" Gaara pressed, flicking his eyes to the chakra-infused hand, though giving it little consideration beyond that.

"Avenge those losers? Like hell if I care about that!" Yoroi declared, rushing at his still idle redheaded foe, launching a glowing grab at Gaara's face the instant he was close enough.

As expected, the sand interposed itself between them, and to Yoroi's pleasure, blasted inward as his hand plowed through, ripping the chakra from it forcefully.

Gaara's eyes widened incrementally as the hand approached him, but 'Mother' never hesitated. Ever.

The sand his arm had pierced constricted, snaking along it's length and twisting tight, bending the limb against the joint painfully.

Yoroi grimaced and forced away the pain, as he expanded the jutsu on his hand down the arm, pulling the chakra from the attack bit by bit, sending the powerless sand trickling down like rain.

"Then your existence has no value, and will not affirm my own," Gaara mused, ignoring the man and his efforts, as he glanced around at the watching ninja. ""I despise fighting such vermin, but the fear of these people will sustain me..."

With a grunt of effort, Yoroi ripped his jutsu-encased arm free, swiping his hand through the sand rapidly as it sought to return to Gaara, draining the majority and leaving it scattered on the ground uselessly.

"You're gonna have to do a lot better than that you little shit," Yoroi chuckled, running through the signs once more, settling the jutsu around both of his arms, finger to shoulder, an easy feat considering the surprising amount of chakra he'd drained from that sand.

Gaara dropped his hands to his sides, ignoring his opponent yet again as he glanced into the gourd on his back, tapping it with the nearer hand.

"Sandstorm," he requested quietly, with more respect than he had given anyone else in years.

Larvitar complied, leaping straight up from it's sandy home, eyes closed and stubby arms crossed over it's chest as it rotated in the air, horn alight with energy.

"Nice try, but I ain't letting you or your damn pokemon do shit!" Yoroi shouted, nearly enraged by the poignant reminder of what he had been denied so long ago.

That the vast majority of his Root ninja brethren had been similarly excluded meant nothing to him.

Larvitar hit the peak of her jump, eyes snapping open and maw wide to expel an extraordinary amount of sand, completing one more rotation before turning her mouth straight up and turning up the pressure, slamming herself back into her hideout through the recoil alone.

Gaara grinned slightly and nodded as she cooed softly in his ear, as if to ask if she had done well.

And then Misumi was on him, grabbing the boy's head in both hands, his hands slipping through Gaara's defensive armor with ease, grasping the flesh beneath within seconds.

The armor cracked and flaked clear down his chest, sliding down his body to form a pile at Gaara's feet.

"Nice trick," Yoroi leered as Gaara's eyes moved from his one true ally and toward the Konoha fool. "Completely useless, but still nice."

Gaara's eyes flickered down, then back up to Yoroi's face, smile shifting into something much more cruel.

That slight motion was all that preceded the sound of grating sand at his feet, and only that warning gave him the time to dodge, releasing the boy and bending back at the waist as five spikes of hardened sand ripped up from the pile of former armor at his feet.

"Not good enough!" Yoroi roared, snapping forward as soon as the attack had passed and snapping his hands onto Gaara's skull once more.

But this time, his hands sunk in deeper, passing clean through the sand clone Gaara had replaced himself with.

As it crumpled, it revealed the boy once more, far beyond him, standing calmly, his feet and arms spread wide.

"Die," Gaara ordered, bringing his hands together, the drifting clouds of sand answering his command and circling tighter around his foe.

"You first!" Yoroi countered, rushing forward, escaping the coiling cloud to rush face first into a second, more directed blast from Larvitar.

Yoroi slammed a fist through the attack easily, but no more than that, as Gaara grabbed it with his chakra, hardening the soil into a dense wall.

"This still ain't good enough you damn brat!" Yoroi growled, punching his other hand through and ripping through the wall piece by piece, fighting against the sandstorm's efforts to repair his damage.

The next time the man caught a glimpse of his opponent, Gaara, calm as ever, simply stood with one hand stretched towards him, but...

"Shukaku Spear!" Gaara called, clenching his fist and dragging it towards himself.

Yoroi, duplicating a mistake that had cost countless ninja their lives, turned when he should have dodged.

And ended up nailed through the chest to the sandstone wall by a spike of the hardest sandstone Gaara could put together from the drifting particles.

Gaara turned a gaze around the arena, meeting each genin's eyes until they turned away fearfully, until he matched gazes with one who wouldn't.

Naruto Uzumaki, as expected, matched his glare in intensity and duration, only looking away once, when Yoroi Akado groaned his final breath and fell limp.

But even the death rattle didn't dissuade the blond boy's determination, and he turned the glare back within a second.

"Winner: Gaara of Suna," Hayate announced needlessly.

"A meaningless victory," Gaara said with a smile, not even blinking as he continued to match Naruto's gaze.

Left unsaid, but clearly heard by both boys was his belief that the Uzumaki, the self-proclaimed Hokage to be, the protector, would be so much more satisfying.

"Go with the medic, or return to your place," Hayate ordered firmly, watching the boy carefully, though he whipped his sword out and through the hard stone spear to aid the medics in their efforts to remove the newest corpse.

Gaara's eyes widened slightly as the simple steel blade sheared his dense construct cleanly, leaving it to clatter to the ground.

The boy met the proctor's eyes, eyes narrowing as he recalculated his opinion of the sickly swordsman, but turned away wordlessly, vanishing in a sandy shunshin back to his teammates.

"And now for the final match..." Hayate announced, ignoring the screen, since only two genin remained. "Sasuke Uchiha versus Neji Hyuuga, Both of Konoha!"

The two clan boys shared an aggressive look, and identically confident smirks, before turning to walk down opposite ends of the stairway, Charmeleon following Sasuke with a solid swagger, though Sneasel simply pushed off the rail he'd been sitting on, landing with an easy hop despite the long fall.

Kakashi watched Sasuke carefully, ignoring Gai's predicted rant about their student's success making a most youthful challenge of their own skills as teachers.

He had warned the boy to take care, and had watched as Sasuke pushed himself to the breaking point over the past few days, training until he could fight almost perfectly without triggering the seal.

It was all up to Sasuke now, but he was confident the boy would be up to the task.

"It's a battle between Teme..." Naruto observed as both cocky clan boys nearly strutted into position. "Kick his ass Sasuke! Show that guy what Team Seven's made of!"

"Yeah right!" Tenten yelled in response. "Neji's the best of the best, Team Gai all the way!"

"Such useless racket," Neji muttered, taking his place, standing relaxed and ready. "No matter how much noise they make, the victor has already been determined. Fate's inexorable decree cannot be swayed by such childish displays."

"Oh? Well, if you've got some kinda oracle in your pocket, then why bother becoming a ninja? You could make a fortune playing stocks. I'm sure your Main branch masters would love to see you padding their purses," Sasuke taunted, putting his hand at the base of his neck and rotating his shoulder, limbering the joint with a dull pop.

And surreptitiously checking the tingling seal as he did.

As he moved onto the opposite shoulder, he smiled confidently, not too worried by the warmth the mark exuded, this guy was an ass, but Sasuke figured he had something of an advantage, especially if the fool kept counting the win before it was done.

"You think you know so much about me, don't you?" Neji asked, the only evidence of his budding anger being his drawn brows, not that Sasuke could miss it in one of the almost supernaturally stone-faced Hyuuga.

"Eh, I know enough," Sasuke replied dismissively. "You're an indentured servant in a big shot clan that likes to pretend they're the Uchiha's equals. Nevermind that the Uchiha clan never had to resort to the kind of crap yours did to keep order, or 'protect the dojutsu'..."

Naruto, Dobe though he may be, had this one thing going for him, if nothing else. Sasuke almost laughed at the colors Neji's face was turning as he struggled to strangle his anger, an emotion Sasuke was wagering would only make the boy sloppy.

Charmeleon had no such courtesy, hissing a steamy cloud of laughter towards the ground, completely ignoring the probable threats Sneasel spat at him when the warm air drifted his way.

"But then, you Hyuuga never could match up to us, well, except in one thing..." Sasuke prodded further. "You Hyuuga always could die better than us. Guess that's why you all wear that tattoo right?"

"Sasuke, enough!" Kakashi called down, prompted into action by Gai's accusing stare, dragging the boy's attention away from his nearly shaking opponent for a moment.

A loud slam brought his attention back in a snap.

Neji's bunched fist was blocked, barely two inches from his face by the proctor's hand.

"I didn't say to begin yet," Hayate said, loosening his grip more than enough for the boy to pull away, though Neji seemed to ignore that fact for a long moment.

"Then start the match," The boy eventually said, stepping back and taking a deep breath, releasing it and the fiery bulk of his anger, with the air.

Sasuke saw in the boys eyes, not a distracting rage anymore, but icy hatred, blank, unyielding, and familiar.

"I assume you're both prepared?" Hayate asked, not blind to the momentary unbalance Sasuke seemed to suffer, though the boy quickly shook it off and nodded, an act mirrored by his rival.

"Then begin!"

Sasuke immediately dropped low, bringing one arm up defensively before him, and the other in close, aiming to block and counter if Neji dared to attempt another straightforward attack.

The Hyuuga boy just glowered, one leg sliding back as he fell into the juuken stance, looking for all the world like he had nowhere better to be, and no need to actively pursue his opponent's destruction.

Sasuke barely hesitated, turning the attempted block into a chambered charge with near perfect fluidity, Charmeleon leaping into the air to belch out a cloud of black smoke, funneling the obscuration towards the haughty Hyuuga and allowing it to rise around him in a dark fog. _(Smoke Screen)_

Charmeleon's feet hit the ground in front of Sasuke hard, fires igniting along his body as he followed the distraction with a Flame Charge, chasing forward with his partner following almost close enough to singe the boy's shirt.

Neji sniffed derisively, closing his eyes against the acrid smoke and simultaneously activating his dojutsu, invalidating even the minor inconvenience it would have caused a lesser ninja.

As he did, Sneasel took his own step to deal with it, squinting through the obstructing haze as he inhaled deeply, ignoring the irritating soot.

With a sudden snap, Sneasel threw it's face forward roaring out a cone of freezing air that blew away Charmeleon's coverage. _(Icy Wind)_

Charmeleon roared, his attack perfectly aimed to blast through the Ice-type adversary and into Neji.

But the pale-eyed boy would not be caught by such an obvious attack, and he stepped away, timing his movements perfectly, dragging his forward foot left around his body, tripping Sneasel to the ground as he did.

Charmeleon blasted by, overshooting the targets considerably, though coming close enough to Neji to clip the boy's long hair, burning it an inch shorter on his right side, and mere inches above the prone pokemon's head.

Neji completed his turn by grabbing behind him with the leading left hand, flawlessly catching the Uchiha's own left arm near the shoulder and speeding his motion with the new leverage, completed the turn to end behind Sasuke, driving a two-fingered juuken strike for a particularly painful nerve cluster along his spine.

Sasuke, his mind flying as he considered the potential attack vectors a Hyuuga might take with his entire backside open to assault, pushed off, turning his forward motion into a flip, avoiding the strike and torquing his arm out of the other boy's grip.

The instant his arm was free, Sasuke lashed out, grabbing the boy's sleeve with the formerly trapped hand, and a fistful of long hair with his other, yanking hard on the latter as his flip neared completion, using the pull to drag him down quickly enough to plant his feet on the Hyuuga's backside, and with a roar of effort, kicking him away.

Sasuke landed on his own back as a result of the reckless counter, but given the success of the improvised attack, he considered it a small price, scissor-kicking his legs to spin himself to his feet in a move that got an admiring catcall from Ino.

Charmeleon, not one to ignore an opportunity, especially after the human had made a fool out of him, skidded to a stop, anchoring one claw to turn and reorient himself, tail-flame flaring wildly as he charged and launched a ball of blue flames at the airborne Hyuuga. _(Dragon Rage)_

As soon as he was vertical again, Sasuke lunged for Sneasel, dropping to one knee and driving a punch at the pokemon's torso.

The movement drew Sneasel's attention away from Charmeleon, and the quick pokemon slapped the ground with one clawed hand, yanking with all it's might and rolling across the arm, dodging the attack by the width of one of it's tail feathers, and gaining it's feet already running for his partner.

Sasuke turned to pursue, pushing off and towards Sneasel with both legs and planted fist, but the pokemon vanished in a burst of speed before Sasuke could reach it. _(Agility)_

Sneasel reappeared next to his airborne partner , clawed arms crossed and glaring at the rapidly approaching ball of flames.

The pokemon pushed off Neji, arresting the majority of his partner's forward movement, and blasting itself into and through the Dragon Rage.

As he passed through the attack, on a virtual collision course with Charmeleon, Sneasel whipped his arms open, the claws igniting purple with new found strength and doubling their length. _(Sword's Dance)_

The fierce Fire-type took half a step back, but recovered almost immediately, stepping forward once more and opened his mouth with a roaring Flamethrower.

The line of fire blinded him for the barest of moments, but it was long enough, and the attack passed harmlessly over the shorter Ice-type's head, the pokemon blasting forward with an opportunistic Quick Attack to close the gap and slash viciously at the reptile.

Neji fell away from Sneasel, turning the slight momentum he'd borrowed from the pokemon to spin a snap kick at his Uchiha opponent, pushing Sasuke away when he connected, but doing little damage through the younger boy's block.

"You will pay for your repetitious insults, right here, right now," Neji swore bitterly, landing lightly on his free leg and completing the rotation of his body to once more face the dark-eyed boy.

"Oh? And I suppose all that crap you keep spouting about everyone but you being some kind of crap is any better?" Sasuke shot back.

"Of course," Neji replied with a superior smile. "An honest assessment is hardly insulting, and as I see it, there is little difference between one failure and the next."

"I'll be sure to remind you of that when I'm being declared winner of this match," Sasuke promised, matching the boy's expression, as he brought his hands together in a Tiger seal.

Unwilling to let the boy turn the match into a battle of long-ranged jutsu, Neji scowled and charged.

Charmeleon roared in pain as the sharp slash carved a bloody line across his chest, but retained enough sense to spin a flame encased tail into the Ice type's face, sending the pokemon retreating with a yelp and a hiss.

Sneasel didn't stay away for long though, being far too used to crushing pokemon he should surely be weak against to surrender.

Pokemon such as Tyrogue.

Sneasel loped forward, claws carving furrows in the ground beside him, while Charmeleon braced for the clash, pulsing Dark energy into his own claws, strengthening his natural weapons almost as much as Sneasel had, and sharpening them to vicious points.

Neji's partner rushed in, driving hard with a stabbing claw, which Charmeleon evaded narrowly, countering with a fiery bite, but so too did Sneasel avoid damage, dropping low and sliding past safety, lashing out in passing to rip another line along the reptilian's leg. _(Charmeleon: Fire Fang, Sneasel: Feint attack)_

Charmeleon released a fiery roar of pain, and turned with a steamy snarl to resume the chase, catching a fair sized rock to the snout for the effort, to find that the pokemon had utilized a move he was quite familiar with, having taken the moments of distraction to tunnel into the cracked floor with Dig.

The reptilian pokemon grinned fiercely and turned it's fiery maw down towards the hole, more than willing to allow the Ice-type it's dead-end den.

"Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Sasuke roared, surprising the Hyuuga boy with his ability to launch the jutsu with a single seal.

But not so great a surprise as Sasuke received when a trio of kunai erupted from the near side of his rather respectably sized attack, impeccably aimed and glowing dimly from the heat of their passage.

Sasuke whipped out a kunai of his own, batting the weapons away, rather than evading as he believed the Hyuuga boy expected.

Whether that was Neji's plan or not was irrelevant however, as the boy had escaped his opponents attack easily with the aid of a kawarimi, picking his reappearance with all the precision of the byakugan prodigy he was, appearing silent and unnoticed mere meters behind the occupied Uchiha.

_'Behind!'_

Sasuke reacted instantly, not pausing to wonder at the warning that was less a word than a sudden knowledge of the threat at his back, eyes flashing red instinctively.

He spun a sweep kick, far short of the Hyuuga boy, who's approach continued, unabated, even if it was by necessity redirected due towards Sasuke's new position.

Fingertip thrusts stabbed in, one after the other, with no sign of end to even his sharingan sight, and Sasuke slapped and stabbed, with hand and kunai, knowing that deflection and evasion were his only hope against the juuken style.

The branch bastard was fast, and his aim almost flawless, Sasuke was forced to admit as he struggled to put his feet back under him.

Only the predictive capabilities of his dojutsu, coupled with the fact that the blade in his hand could do far more immediate damage with even a glancing strike kept Neji's attacks from crushing his defense in seconds.

Sasuke dropped his shoulder, pulling the vital joint low as his other arm came across to bat Neji's swift striking arm away, but for a moment, the passionless face of his foe shifted, the approaching finger poke of doom taking on a much different meaning.

_'Foolish little brother,'_

Sasuke froze as, for a moment, he forgot which of the hated long-haired pretty boys he was fighting.

Seeing the sudden fear in Sasuke's red eyes, Neji sneered and pressed on towards victory.

Finally, the fool realized just how thoroughly outmatched he was.

The first strike hit perfectly, stabbing into the joint of his shoulder and sealing the tenketsu there just as if he'd been attacking a sparring dummy, sending the kunai to the ground noisily.

Sasuke staggered back a step, launching a weak punch with his opposite hand, and the second juuken strike followed with equal perfection, as Neji flowed out of range and back in to deliver it.

"Have you finally accepted your fate?" Neji sneered, allowing his opponent to stagger away.

"_Is this the limit of your hatred?"_

Sasuke turned with a wordless roar, one arm limp as he swiped a wild grab at Neji's jerkin, though the boy flowed away with ease.

The Uchiha stepped in after him, sweeping his arm back in a furious backhand at the Hyuuga's face.

An explosion rocked the arena, ruining Neji's attempted evasion.

Charmeleon howled in pain when the tunnel he'd been focusing his fire into exploded in a cloud of stone and steam, the wall of ice Sneasel used to fill the hole behind himself almost instantly vaporizing under the immense heat. _(Ice Beam)_

Sneasel made his reappearance with a vengeance, battered and burned despite the steps he'd taken to protect himself from the expected reaction.

The pokemon leapt from the depths of the arena's newest flaw, flickering from the effects of another Agility, slamming one clawed fist into the Fire-type's snout, and spinning a one-two kick combo into Charmeleon's throat and chest, finishing with a final swipe at it's gut. _(Fury Swipes)_

Charmeleon bit at Sneasel, time and again, flames licking from his maw with each savage snap, but his target moved like the wind, darting in and out, attacking from every angle it could reach, never still long enough for one of Charmeleon's more potent attacks.

Neji fell back under the weight of Sasuke's backhanded punch, quickstepping to maintain his balance and to evade the boy's followup attempts.

Punch to gut, spinkick to face, a second airborne kick to his chest, and a wild grab for his jerkin were all avoided with contemptuous ease, the Hyuuga managing with sheer speed, fluidity, and experience to negate the sizable benefits of the Uchiha's own heritage.

Sasuke flowed from the grab into a handplant and kick, which Neji responded to with a palm block and grab, taking hold of the boy's foot and dragging his hand down the unruly Uchiha's leg, sealing four more tenketsu before the fool managed to pull away.

"Just admit defeat," Neji advised smugly. "You cannot fight fate, and you cannot beat me. Your continued persistence is a waste of everyone's time."

"_Run, little brother. Flee, hide away, and embrace your miserable existence."_

"Shut up," Sasuke growled, flinching away from the pulsing power of his curse mark. "Don't talk to me, like you know what I've been through! I'll beat you! I'll beat you and everyone else!"

"Then I suppose all this has been to force me to lower my guard?" Neji scoffed.

Sasuke stepped towards the Hyuuga growling, his working hand clenching in anticipation, his damaged leg dragging.

"Char! Fire Spin! Burn that bastard!" Sasuke ordered.

With a roar of acknowledgment, Charmeleon complied, spinning a quick rotation to force Sneasel away, then belching the spiraling stream of fire at the Hyuuga boy's backside.

The defensive measure bought him little time against the swift Sneasel, and his last brave act in the battle bought him not one ounce of mercy from the pokemon's Fury Swipes.

"Pitiful," Neji spat venomously, hopping away from the meager attack.

"Fūton: Reppūshō!" Sasuke called out, thrusting his hand out as soon as the flames were in position between him and Neji.

The Gale Palm roared to life, fanning the flames to greater proportions and blasting them towards the Hyuuga, flowing over and around the boy before he could land and leap away again.

Sasuke cut the flow after a single long second, groaning at the angry pulsing of the Curse mark, demanding he continue, demanding he crush the one who stood between him and his goals.

But Sasuke refused to bend to the seal's will. He wanted, sorely wanted, Itachi's blood, but this white-eyed bastard wasn't him, no matter the similarities.

As the flames flickered and died, the Hyuuga was revealed, crouched low, arms held defensively in front of his face, entire body glowing from the chakra he'd forced out of his tenketsu to hold the chakra enhanced flames at bay..

"Slightly less pitiful, but..." Neji coughed, eyes boldly demanding that the boy continue, his body singed and clothes nearly blackened from the flames' intensity.

"A failure like you, could never defeat me. Your fate was decided the moment you first stood against me."

"_A failure like you, could never defeat me. Your hate is still impotent. Your eyes stand no chance against me."_

"You... You just shut the hell up!" Sasuke screamed, sharingan spinning fast enough to finally shatter the subtle illusion the curse mark had allowed Orochimaru to slip through into his mind as Sasuke strode past on his way to the floor.

The disguised Sannin grimaced, but not for long.

"You think you know fate? You think you know anything!?" Sasuke snarled, his chakra spiraling angrily around him. "I'll crush you! I'll crush you, and Itachi, and anyone else who stands in my way!"

"Sasuke! Snap out of it!" Kakashi ordered, his own red eye already open and observant, watching the mark pulse from red to black and back.

Part of him was demanding he intervene right now, but Sasuke hadn't lost control, not yet, and he'd promised the boy that he wouldn't get involved unless the seal got completely out of hand.

He owed the boy that much at least, after pushing him as hard as he had over the past days.

"Kick his ass, Teme!" Naruto shouted down. "He's got nothing on that crossdressing creep from the forest. Dattebayo!"

Sasuke smirked at the reminder, and did what he did so often in life: Bet on himself.

His one working hand went to the seal at his neck, and his eyes blanked, concentrating on the foreign intrusion, and the paths of chakra leading from it.

Pathways filled with eager energy, simply begging to be released.

Picking one, he opened up, allowing the energy to escape, and the seal flared like a hot coal in his soul for one searing instant, as the chakra poured into him, through him, punching through the tenketsu seals with ease.

With a growl of anger and effort, Sasuke reversed the act, taking what he wanted, needed, and forcing the rest away once more, tightening his hard-earned control and slamming the door on the power given so eagerly.

It was barely two seconds of effort, but sweat was pouring from the boy, and both Kakashi and Anko looked ready to charge in to stop him, but he stood strong, proud, and ready to continue.

Orochimaru watched the Uchiha with wide eyes, and a proud grin, knowing that this was one minion that would require care and planning to properly utilize... at least until the time came to take his potent body.

There would of course be risks, but the benefits...

It took effort not to lick his lips in anticipation.

"Interesting..." Neji mused, having watched the entire ordeal with his byakugan. "A seal storing a reserve of chakra..."

"Not quite," Sasuke replied, smirking confidently as he flexed his regained limbs. "But that's as much as you're going to learn about it!"

Sasuke swept his arms to the sides, forming a single seal in each hand, setting his Suji Jiinto sparking as he rushed the Hyuuga boy.

Taijutsu had failed. Ninjutsu had failed. And he had no genjutsu worthy of the title.

But this worked on Haku, it'll have to work on this white eyed bastard.

All he needed was a touch, a graze, and he could claim his victory.

Neji smirked in agreement, accepting the wordless declaration that this would be the final exchange.

Sasuke watched avidly, sharingan spinning as he saw Neji's every muscle movement in slow motion.

Leg sliding back, weight dropping low, arms spread wide, his body appearing completely open to enemy attack.

"You are within range of my divination," Neji said smugly, the instant it was true.

Sasuke growled in response, bringing both hands forward, right slightly leading, but Neji flashed forward with speed rivaling even Kakashi's.

"Two palms!" Neji declared, appearing within Sasuke's reach and stabbing his shoulder tenketsu flawlessly, leaving the arms to swing dead, jutsu failing.

The Hyuuga ducked free, allowing the Uchiha's limbs to wrap himself, and stabbing in once more.

"Four palms!" These spiked into his chest, disabling the core tenketsu that were normally struck first.

"Eight palms!" Neji continued, circling around the boys side, four pokes further disabling his opponent's arms and numbing his legs.

His eyes narrowed when the tenketsu popped open immediately.

"Sixteen palms!" Eight stabs, circling the strange seal, The Uchiha's only weapon of recourse, the false pathways clogging and opening rapidly under their own pressure.

"Thirty-two palms!" Again and again, stabbing chakra spikes of pain, punctuated by a scowl from Neji.

"Sixty-four palms!" The spikes of chakra finally served their purpose, clogging the falsely formed pathways, hammering them closed with nails of the densest chakra Neji could produce.

The stored chakra hammered against it, but it's own compact space worked against it, and it remained tightly bound in the limited area of it's artificial core.

Sasuke, senseless, wavered on his feet, and Neji slipped around him, finishing the battle with a mundane palm strike to his opponent's chest.

His smug expression returned as Sasuke collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust, moaning deliriously, wordlessly.

Hayate was beside the fallen boy in an instant, as were Kakashi and Anko.

"Hey, he's okay, right? Right?" Naruto called down, unwilling to see his rival defeated so easily, and equally reluctant to go down and risk disqualifying Sasuke. "I mean, he ain't out yet, this is nothin' for Team Seven!"

_'I... don't believe so,' _Kirlia replied, taking his hand in hers and opening Naruto to the impression of concern and pride she felt from their sensei and his constituents.

Many emotions flowed around the arena, pride, anger, worry, desire, it was enough to make her head swim, and Naruto's own weren't helping her any.

"Sasuke Uchiha is unable to continue," Hayate announced, standing smoothly. "The final winner of the preliminary matches is Neji Hyuuga!"

"Such youthful vigor!" Gai cheered loudly, sending the boy a wide smile and a prominent thumb.

Tenten was much more reserved, but still proud, as was to be expected. She was proud of that fool, Lee, too.

Neji ignored the compliments, glowering at the Uchiha on the ground.

This was almost the perfect human test, striking so many times in such a small area, and still he hadn't perfected the technique.

He still wasn't fast enough, and from what he'd seen of Lee, he would certainly need to improve on that, and quickly.

Sixty-one palms... an imperfect embarrassment, even in victory.

"I'd better get this mark sealed properly," Kakashi muttered to the proctor and Anko.

"Yeah... Though the brat did better than I expected, all things considered," Anko agreed. "To force down the seal with only his will..."

"Tell me about it," Kakashi replied, somewhat amused. "But... I can't say I'm entirely surprised. Both my boys are too stubborn for their own good sometimes."

Hayate nodded, looking over his shoulder towards the crouching pair. "You know how things are gonna go, right?"

"Yeah," Kakashi replied, lifting his unconscious student easily. "Sasuke may need to be exempted from the missions, but I'll see to it that Sakura is informed and ready."

"And Naruto?" Hayate prompted.

"I'll handle things there too, trust me," Kakashi replied with another of his barely visible smiles.

"Very well then."

"Come on Anko, I've got the room set up already," Kakashi said.

"And I've arranged a full guard detail to protect the brat while he recovers," Anko replied. "All, Anbu, Ibiki certified."

"Good... the sooner this is done, the better," Kakashi muttered.

Hayate turned his attention to the ninja lining the walls as the two vanished in twin clouds of smoke.

"Victors, I would like to extend to you congratulations, from myself, the Hokage, and all those involved in the management of this event," Hayate called loudly. "And to those of you who are... less than victorious, I offer my sympathies, and my hopes that you have learned, and grown, from the experience, and my own personal hope that your next exam is more successful."

"At least the ones who didn't die in the process of losing," Shikamaru muttered tiredly.

"Yes, of course. But it was an acknowledged fat that death was a risk all entrants faced," Hayate answered, not having missed the quiet comment.

Shikamaru had the decency to flush and look away, which unfortunately brought his gaze in contact with Ino's, which promised quite troublesome repercussions if he said another word.

He looked away from her too.

"As some of you may already know," Hayate continued. "There will be a month's delay while we arrange for the final event."

"The final round will be essentially a reiteration of today's: A battle between ninja with their pokemon. However, unlike today's event, you will be aware of who you are likely to battle prior to the match's beginning."

"The matches for the finals will be determined randomly as well, and we will do so in a moment." Hayate continued, hesitating a breath before continuing on with the announcements.

"Because the finals are such a significant event, and because it is rare for a team to pass in it's entirety," Hayate announced, pausing with a sigh to wait for Ino's proud announcement that 'her team' had managed to do just that to end.

"Right... Well, because of this, it is considered standard practice that those ninja who have teammates that are continuing on to be assigned missions within the host village to assist in preparation. This is largely to allow the team to remain together, and are not mandatory, though any guests who do not have a reason to remain will be asked to leave."

"Temari of Sunagakure will assist in whatever ways she is needed," the girl's jounin sensei announced, bowing solemnly towards the Hokage's dais. "It would be a valuable learning experience for her, both in the hazards of failure, and in the differences between ninja cultures."

"Dosu and Zaku of Otogakure will do the same," the Sound's sensei agreed, stepping forward and speaking boldly, though he too bowed to the Hokage and his entourage. "It would be a valuable learning experience for them, to work alongside the largest of villages, as we prepare for the event."

"These ninnies from Nakagakure will as well," Benge added flippantly, tossing a halfhearted salute the Hokage's way. "Because I am not leaving until I beat that damn shadow stealing Shikaku!"

"Great..." Ao sighed, before calling over to Shikamaru. "How do you feel about us moving in? Cause he's never gonna beat that guy."

"Too much of a drag," Shikamaru replied, using just enough energy to make his voice carry. "But let him visit, Mom's so busy complaining about him that she's stopped yelling at me."

"Very well then," Hayate interrupted quickly, not liking the angry pout on the pale faced assassin. "Those of you who will be assisting should report to the Hokage's tower when your injuries allow. You will of course receive payment for services rendered, according to standard Konoha mission rates."

That those missions had a standard pay nearly twenty percent higher than a comparable non-exam preparative went unsaid. Let the other villages think Konoha could afford to pay their genin so well normally.

"Are there any other questions or comments before we determine the final lineup?" Hayate prompted.

"No? Very well then... Ibiki-san, if you would be so kind?" Hayate asked, turning to the scarred jounin.

With a nod, the jounin put a hand to his ear, speaking quietly through the microphone for a moment.

A long moment, as he seemed to be having a quiet argument with the person on the other end.

"Then just type 'Blank' dammit! Do I have to think of everything?" Ibiki eventually said loudly, pulling his hand away from the earpiece and ending the communique brusquely.

"Trouble?" Sarutobi asked quietly.

"Nothing that I can't fix, Hokage-sama," Ibiki growled back. "Anko put an idiot in charge of the terminal, and apparently the Porygon he's working with isn't very intuitive."

"Ah," Sarutobi chuckled.

"I'll be arranging a refresher course in the secondary uses of the Terminal for Anbu personnel, once the exams are over... With your permission, of course," Ibiki said, as the computerized display finally shifted over into the tiered display it needed and set the names cycling.

"Do as you feel necessary," the Hokage replied.

The screen eventually settled, displaying the order of combat.

Naruto versus Kin.

Shikamaru versus Kankuro.

Hinata versus 'Blank'.

Neji versus Ino.

Kiba versus Lee.

Chouji versus Gaara.

"'Blank' references the empty slot from the double disqualification in the seventh match," Hayate explained. "Ergo, Hinata Hyuuga gets a pass in the first round."

Neji scowled at that twist of fate, but only briefly, as he realized the mixed nature of this blessing.

"As you can see from the diagram, the victor of the first match with fight the victor of the second, as will the victors of the third and fourth, and fifth and sixth. However, the final match will be a three way battle between the victors of those matches, after a short intermission."

"Does everyone understand the arrangement as it stands?" Hayate asked, looking around.

"No? Alright then. Follow me and we'll escort you all back to the village," Hayate said, moving over to stand beside the door the medics had been using.

The contestants gathered quickly, ushered by their respective sensei, and the group started down the long, thankfully well lit tunnel back to Konoha.

Behind them, the chunin guards muttered quiet imprecations against genin in general, called up their pokemon and set about repairing the heavily damaged arena via an abundance of Rock techniques.

* * *

End Chapter 16.

And there's the end of Chapter 16 and the preliminaries, hope ya liked it. (And than the Shadows that that's over...)

To continue with last chapter's Element descriptions:

Ino: Psychic. Fire, Grass and Poison were all suggested for her, and while Grass and Fire are both very appropriate for her now, neither one is really satisfying, I'm essentially considering her to be halfway to both as a secondary as it stands, with the potential to settle into one based on future events. Then again, she could go poison instead, because it is a very viable option, just not one she'd have learned much about up to now.

Gaara: Ground. An easy decision, though Steel was also suggested, and Flying could be feasible. Either way, he's another one I want to keep an eye on for future development.

Neji: Psychic/Ice. This was suggested for Hinata, on the grounds that a Psychic Hyuuga would be awesome, and I couldn't help but agree, except less for Hinata than the fate obsessed Neji. Just seems to fit for him, though Flying, Fighting, Fire, Electricity, and Water were all recommended. (Spoiler for the Manga: Neji my man, you went out in an awesome way. How everybody should die if they have the choice.)

* * *

Review Response:

Mesojoe: Actually... that was me getting my games mixed up, hehe. I forgot that getting hit with a physical attack in pokemon won't wake you up if you're put to sleep, which in hindsight seems pretty glaring oversight on my end... I blame my tendency to replay old games that had that as a mechanic... I hit so many allies over the years because of that, hehe.


	17. Mankind's Greatest Mystery

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

* * *

A tremor ran through battered flesh, muscles shaking in response to the lightest of touches, accompanied by the slightest of giggles.

"Was that a laugh?" A female voice asked, sounding surprised.

"Mmhmm," a familiar hum answered from much closer. "Sounds like he's waking up..."

_'Kakashi...'_ Sasuke realized, twitching away from the continuing touches and blinking blearily.

"Who'd have thought the brat would be ticklish?" Anko snickered, leaning against a column about a dozen feet away,. "He's gonna regret it though... Sealing that thing hurts like a right bitch."

Sasuke blinked at the woman, her Seviper still wrapped around her slim waist, tasting the air every few seconds, but dismissed her comment as useless. Pain was no stranger to him, in any of it's forms.

Across from her, bracketing the doorway stood Charmeleon and Absol, the cat-like pokemon sitting calmly, unconcerned, and to Kakashi's hopes, confident that the sealing would go on without trouble.

Not that the Disaster Pokemon's infamous senses very reliable in predicting human events, but one must take what comfort one can, even while preparing for the worst.

"What happened in the fight?" Sasuke asked, forcing down his instinct to twitch away from the brush his sensei was using to apply the fuinjutsu runes.

"You lost... As you probably already guessed," Kakashi answered sympathetically. "But you made quite an impression despite that."

"Doesn't hurt that your opponent used a taijutsu technique he shouldn't have even known," Anko added.

Sasuke's eyes shot from Kakashi to Anko in a flash, interrogating in their intensity, though the woman just smirked silently as she met his gaze.

Kakashi, in his typically helpful fashion, held his tongue too, completely focused on his effort by all appearances.

"Explain... please." Sasuke ground out reluctantly, only adding the second word when the woman's amused look turned borderline threatening.

"Fine brat, but only cause we're stuck here anyway," Anko grumbled. "Fact is, that Hyuuga kid's one of Gai's genin, so it's only to be expected that he's an ace in taijutsu, but he pulled out an advanced Hyuuga technique that branch members aren't taught... Ever."

"It's called the Hakke Rokujūyon Shō, or Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms," She continued. "It's a considered to be one of the perfect taijutsu techniques, capable of disabling or killing an opponent in seconds."

"And a genin knows a technique like that?" Sasuke asked, his gaze distant as he looked inward, comparing himself to the Hyuuga genius, unfavorably.

"After a year under Gai, it's not surprising," Kakashi put in. "If there's one thing that man knows, it's hard work. It's practically a religion to him."

"Then why haven't you been teaching us things like that?" Sasuke asked accusingly.

"Because I haven't had a year to do it?" Kakashi replied carelessly. "Besides, Gai can't have taught Neji that technique, it'd be impossible without the byakugan."

"Probably just told the kid how it worked and expected him to put the pieces together," Anko added.

"Challenged him to, more likely," Kakashi corrected, knowing the Hyuuga boy's pride wouldn't allow him to refuse. "And from what I saw, Neji still hasn't perfected the technique. That, coupled with his desire to prevent you from pulling chakra from the seal again are probably the only reasons you're even awake right now. Though his precision was spot on... I'll have to give him that."

"So, that's it then." Sasuke muttered bitterly. "One move, and he wins..." _Just like..._ "Am I even getting any closer?"

"To Itachi you mean?" Kakashi asked rhetorically. "Yes, but I'm not surprised you're wondering. It's only been what, five months since you graduated from the academy?"

"Itachi was halfway to chunin at this point!" Sasuke argued.

"Actually, he was only... about, one sixth of the way? Something like that, it did take him three years as I recall," Kakashi mused. "However, I did manage it in only a year... but then it was my second attempt at the exams too... So you're still about where I was."

Of course, they only failed the first one because Obito didn't show up for the second stage until almost three hours late...

The cycloptic jounin regretted his angry words to the boy many times in the years since, both because he'd obviously hurt Obito's feelings, and because the Uchiha had been so exhausted that his excuse would have probably been amazing.

"They had chunin exams in the middle of the war?" Sasuke asked, surprised.

"All work and no play makes Sasuke a dull boy," Kakashi replied sagely. "Besides, the exams have always been considered neutral grounds, in as much as any exist among ninja, so it's a perfect place for villages to court potential allies."

"Plus, the villages still need to make a profit, even during a war, and that means we need missions. Believe it or not, looting enemy bases isn't as profitable as one might expect," Anko added.

"It is when you remember that the pillaging comes before the burning, Anko-chan," Kakashi replied cheerfully, smiling in the face of her glower.

"I made that mistake one time! One! And you'll never let me live it down, will you?" She spat back.

"Not until that mission failure is off my record," Kakashi muttered, rocking back on his heels and taking a quick look at his work.

Sasuke held very still as Kakashi stood and circled around him, peering from every angle to make sure that what he saw meshed properly with the perfect pattern he'd memorized via sharingan.

"Okay then, that should do it," Kakashi said after a long moment, pulling down his headband and storing the fuinjutsu supplies he'd been using.

"Brace yourself boyo, this is gonna hurt," Anko said, grinning widely as Kakashi flipped through seals one by one.

"I'll try to make this fast, so just bear with it," Kakashi said comfortingly, putting his palm over the prominent tomoe pattern of the curse mark and boldly calling out the technique's name.

"Fūja Hōin!"

The chakra infused ink flared brightly, crawling across stone and skin to surround Orochimaru's seal with a ring of flowing script.

Almost a minute went by, with barely a deep breath from Sasuke, before the boy spoke.

"Is that it?" Sasuke asked, sounding completely unfazed by the tortuous technique.

"Um... yes?" Kakashi replied, visible eye wide as he flicked an inquiring glance towards Anko.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," Anko said, shaking her head. "That thing put me on my ass for a week."

"That's what it's supposed to do..." Kakashi mused, revealing his red eye once again, and inspecting the pair of seals, signing a series of silent commands.

Almost immediately, another ninja appeared in a swirl of chakra, saluting and bowing his bird masked head silently.

"Swellow, I want you to inspect Sasuke's seals, considering Anko's to be the control example, I want to know whatever differences exist," Kakashi ordered.

"At once, Taichou," the man said promptly, running through a set of seals and pointing his own overlaid palms at Sasuke's neck.

While unnecessary in present company, the Hyuuga Anbu often developed veiling habits to hide their dojutsu use.

"It would seem that the bulk of Neji-san's attack remains intact, binding the core of the curse mark, which seems to have allowed the evil sealing fuinjutsu to isolate it completely. By contrast, Anko-san's own seal continues to bleed chakra at a steady rate." The man explained.

"I am uncertain what will happen once the chakra from Neji's juuken attacks dissipate, but the sealing jutsu has clamped the artificial chakra coils quite tightly."

"Could the lack of chakra flow have made the jutsu less painful?" Anko asked Kakashi.

"Possibly... And more secure, if we're lucky," Kakashi admitted. "The more pressing concern is whether or not it will hold at this level when the juuken chakra does break."

"And if it doesn't?" Sasuke asked suspiciously, craning his head to get a look at the pair of seals on his shoulder.

"Then it all comes down to you, Sasuke, just like we thought from the beginning," Kakashi replied seriously. "And even if the circumstances are a bit more favorable than we'd hoped, it still comes down to that. Your will is all that will be holding that thing at bay."

"I would advise maintained observation, until the juuken chakra has neutralized," the Anbu suggested. "It is possible that the release, and subsequent freedom of Orochimaru's inserted chakra, will cause complications. It would be best to have medics on hand to counter anything unexpected."

"Agreed. Anko see to it." Kakashi ordered. "If possible, consult one of the Hyuuga on the hospital staff to see about bleeding off Neji's chakra over time. If it'll help, or reduce the chance of a catastrophic event, do it."

"And while I'm doing this oh-so-interesting chore?" Anko asked, ire dripping from her voice.

"I'm going to the Hokage to report on the sealing's success," Kakashi answered absently. "See if he has any input on the situation, and if he knows where the hell Jiraiya-sama is. Besides, I'd figure you want to be around to make sure that thing stays isolated, if only because the same thing might be possible on yours."

Anko's hand came up, almost making it's way to her own seal before she forced it back down.

"Do you think it'd be possible?" She asked, voice almost mechanical in it's neutrality. "I mean, I have had it a lot longer than the brat..."

"I don't know," Kakashi admitted, catching Absol's eye and prompting the Pokemon to rise and pace over beside him lazily. "But it's an option we didn't think of when planning for Sasuke, which suggests that they didn't think of it when they sealed you. Jiraiya-sama might have some theories, if nothing else."

"...Okay, you got it," Anko agreed, sketching an informal salute towards the man, one of the few who could catch the slight spark of optimism in her.

Kakashi nodded once, smiling with one dark eye as he vanished in a shunshin, dropping his hand to Absol's side right before the jutsu took effect to bring his partner along.

As the air settled from Kakashi's exit, Anko blew out a heavy breath, pushing the small hope to the back of her mind, trying not to think of the number of disappointments she'd had over the years on this same subject.

"Alright maggots, form up!" She shouted, voice echoing through the empty halls with ease, once more the steel-spined kunoichi she'd become over the years.

Sasuke jerked in surprise as a veritable army of Anbu appeared around him, without even the scuff of a sandal to mark their arrival.

"Seems dear ol' Sensei decided to decline our invitation," Anko said boldly, tauntingly. "But that doesn't mean this is over!"

"Next step is transporting the target, this brat here, to Konoha Shinobi Hospital. Upon arrival, you are to take up defensive positions around the ward designated for the chunin aspirants," Anko ordered.

"You will be relieved in a staggered manner, when we feel like it, and if we manage to catch you off guard, you **Will** regret it. Under no circumstances will your replacement arrive without an escort consisting of myself, Ibiki, or an Anbu captain. If someone does arrive claiming such, you are to do your damnedest to restrain or eliminate that person, got it?"

"Hai!" Answered the twenty-four masked ninja, speaking and saluting almost simultaneously, echoing in Sasuke's ears, evidence of a level of discipline unseen in normal ninja.

Part of him wanted to see the seriousness of this protection detail as a testament to his value to the village.

Most of him realized that it was more likely a result of how dangerous an opponent Orochimaru could be.

"All operatives are to remain in contact, visual or through radio, with at least two others at all times. If one becomes isolated for any reason, the first words out of your mouths better be you trying to convince the rest that you haven't been compromised." Anko continued. "It won't stop us from taking your ass down, but screaming 'I surrender' and hitting the floor like a bitch might help you survive the process."

"This may seem harsh, but I assure you, it's no more than necessary when dealing with this particular Sannin, and more likely than not, it still won't be enough." Anko's voice was deadly serious, but growing agitated as she spoke. "Better than anyone, I know what that bastard can do, and I'll be damned before I let his... his... corruption, get another handhold in Konoha! This is my village! My home! He had his chance here, and we all saw what he did, we know! Never again!"

"Never again!" Agreed the Anbu, wholeheartedly, and Sasuke was surprised at the savagery in some of those muffled voices, the strength of their blows as fist slapped to heart in salute.

Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how strong, and how terrible, Orochimaru really was, if this many were needed, and eager, to kill the man.

"Alright kiddies. You know your jobs, so get to 'em!" Anko ordered, clapping her hands together to demonstrate her impatience.

The entire group was gone from Sasuke's senses before her hands met for the second time.

"You ready to go, brat?" Anko asked, grabbing his unmarked shoulder and hauling him to his feet.

Sasuke later wondered why the crazy woman even asked, since they were halfway to the hospital before he could try answering.

* * *

A strange sensation roused Naruto from his sleep in the still small hours of morning.

Blinking blearily, he tried to place the feeling, which while far from unpleasant, seemed rather strong for a time of day when most sensible people were still snoring.

Potent desire, awestruck anticipation, and a touch of apprehension, under which flowed a whirl of chagrined curiosity.

It didn't take him long to realize that Kirlia, who had to be the source of the phantom feelings, had left the bed sometime during the night.

His own curiosity piqued, Naruto crept from the bed and through his apartment, quiet as a ninja's Rattata.

He located his partner in moments, just as the little girl-like pokemon was heaving herself onto the rail of his balcony.

Naruto followed her out, unnoticed as his curiosity melded with Kirlia's, the pokemon's bright red eyes rapt on the line of light tracing the eastern horizon.

Minutes passed as night reluctantly surrendered to morning's approach, the starlit shadows giving way to red and orange, turning the wispy clouds purple and pink as the light scattered through them in layers.

Konoha, for all it's majesty, was reduced to a simple backdrop for the beauty of the moment.

Naruto had seen a number of sunrises, and sunsets, in his thirteen years of life, but that was mostly because it was a prime time for setting up pranks, but something about this one... watching it with Kirlia.

Seeing what she saw, feeling what she felt, even muted by her failed attempt at subtlety...

The little Emotion Pokemon seemed to swell larger and larger, leaning precariously over the rail and towards the east, hands clasped tightly together at her chest, as the predawn brightness built to a crescendo, until at long last, the edge of the sun nibbled it's way over the far wall, and the sea of trees beyond.

"Kirlia!" She cheered aloud, joy cascading out from her along with the cry, pure emotion so potent that even the grumpy voices of the neighbors she woke cut off mid-curse.

Kirlia paid the voices no mind, sweeping her arms apart as if to embrace the sunlight itself, before falling into a spin, kicking off the rail she stood upon to twirl through the air and land lightly on the next, flowing from there into a dance, performed purely for the beautiful morning.

Dancing as her ancestors had, mothers and fathers unto time immemorial.

As she moved, eyes closed in contentment, floating from rail to rail flawlessly as the impulse moved her, joy and contentment suffused her, and was cast out into the village, her offering to the day ahead.

Her gift, freely given, to those lucky enough to be near.

Minutes later, when the last of her celestial dance partner crested the village wall, Kirlia slowed to a stop, raising one small hand towards the skyborn orb and bowing a perfect curtsey.

Well, perfect until applause broke into her bubble of blissful blindness.

Instantly she was aware, and facing her amused partner, cheeks lit almost as red as her eyes in the face of Naruto's knowing smile.

"So... This new too?" Naruto asked, trying to break through Kirlia's obvious embarrassment.

Kirlia stared for a few seconds, but nodded hesitantly, just once.

"An' is this gonna be an everyday thing now?" Naruto continued, walking over to lean against the rail beside her and look out over the village he called home. "Cause I gotta say, this beats an alarm clock any day."

"_Really?"_ Kirlia asked, knowing that Naruto was hardly what one could call a morning person, even if his version of grumpy tended to be more amusing than most... Especially when he forgot to take off his fish hat thing before trying to grouch.

"You bet!" Naruto agreed, flashing a wide grin and sweeping her into his arms. "So what if it's stupid o'clock in the morning night now? We're gonna need every minute of training we can get if we're gonna beat all those guys in the finals, right?"

"_Right!" _Kirlia replied, pumping her fist in agreement.

"We're gonna beat all of 'em. That Hyuuga bastard, that green guy, that Gaara weirdo, every last one of 'em!"

"_But first, that girl Kin,"_ Kirlia reminded him.

"Nah... First is food!" Naruto corrected. "Breakfast first. Visiting Sakura-chan and the others second, training is third. Crazy girls can wait their turn."

Kirlia's stomach chose that moment to growl like a caged Granbull, causing the girlish pokemon to blush once more.

"Breakfast it is." Naruto declared, sitting Kirlia onto a stool so she could help. "Eggs good? How ya want 'em? I'll even do sunny side up if you promise not to dance at the table..."

The flat look Kirlia gave him only made the boy smile wider, so she chucked a nearby hand towel at him.

He laughed at that.

* * *

Hey, Kirlia-chan... You mind if I ask you somethin'?" Naruto asked, breaking the companionable silence that the two friends shared.

Despite his earlier enthusiasm for early morning training, Naruto had decided to leave it until after he'd had a chance to visit Sakura and Sasuke...

Unfortunately, the nearby flower shops seemed to be closed, and visiting hours were still a while away.

To make matters more annoying. the Anbu guards seemed unusually determined to keep people away.

Probably cause of that snake freak...

And so, they were lounging on the awning of a shop in the market district, enjoying the morning sun and watching the village come to life.

His clones, on the other hand, were scouring the village for a shop that might be open already, or at least one that would be opening soon, so he could be ready before Sakura-chan got released.

So far, the clones hadn't found anything, and Naruto was half tempted to send a few out into the forest itself in search of the pretty plants.

But knowing Sakura... he had a feeling that might not go over too well...

"_You can always ask me whatever you wish,"_ Kirlia replied, her voice soft and sleepy as she rested her head on his shoulder, safe and comfortable.

As it often did, the warmth of his feelings and the pulse of his heartbeat soothed her; body, mind and soul.

"Well... I was just thinkin' about this morning, an' it got me wondering," Naruto began. "I mean, I know it's gotta be because you're a Kirlia now, right? And pokemon change when they evolve..."

"_...yes," _Kirlia replied a bit nervously, snuggling closer in an attempt to recapture the feeling from a moment before. _"It is... difficult to explain..."_

"Could you... try?" Naruto asked, a touch of pleading in his voice. "I mean, you don't have to, if you don't wanna... But we're practically family, and I'd like to know all about it. What you can do now. What new stuff you like, don't like, all that. Everything about this evolution thing, ya know?"

"_I like being like this..." _Kirlia mused, warming at the pleasure Naruto felt at that simple statement, and the way his encircling arm pressed against her.

But his question was important to him... and not unreasonable.

"_Where shall I begin?"_ She wondered aloud.

"Well, the dancing was pretty cool, you can start there?" Naruto suggested.

"_Mmm," _Kirlia hummed agreeably, gathering her thoughts.

"_Among my family, three things are considered precious above all else, save Arceus: Emotions, those we call family who share those emotions with us, and the art of dance."_

"_Kirlia, Gardevoir, and even Gallade, all honor the art of dance in their own ways, though the Gallade are more martial in their interpretation than the others, practicing a form of Blade Dance similar to the styles used by kenjutsu ninja."_

"Gardevoir? Gallade?" Naruto repeated curiously.

Kirlia smiled at his question, and shared a memory, one of the protectors of old whom her kin still revered, one of the great Gallade who stood against the Tyrant alongside the human heroes of the time.

"_Gallade," _Kirlia explained._ "Known as the Blade Pokemon, defenders of the weak, and master swordsmen. Some Kirlia choose to pursue strength of body, rather than mind, and evolve into Gallade."_

"So... is that what you're gonna look like when you grow up?" Naruto asked, not sure if he like the idea of his cute pokemon turning into something out of a low budget super hero show.

"_No," _She replied wistfully. _"Only boys can become Gallade. I'll be a Gardevoir someday... Beautiful and elegant, like a pokemon princess..."_

"You gonna show me what they look like?" Naruto asked, poking her out of her reverie.

"_Someday," _Kirlia replied playfully, grabbing the offending hand and hugging it tightly.

"So mean..." Naruto grouched, frowning at her childishly.

Kirlia smiled back, sending a wave of love through their connection, a flow Naruto matched, an exchange of esteem that transcended their teasing.

Kirlia settled down after a moment, though she refused to release her captive limb.

"_To continue... As Kirlia, we have an urge to dance for the morning sun. I... thought it would be silly, when I was a Ralts, but it's just so... right! I saw the sun coming up and it was just so... the red and purples, and pink and orange and all the other colors... and the clouds! And... and... and that moment was just so perfect, and there will never be another dawn exactly like that one... I just had to do it!"_

"It was a really pretty orange," Naruto agreed, half serious, but entirely absorbed in his partner's excitement. "I know what you mean, when we got back from Wave, and I had my first bowl of Ichiraku ramen... I kinda wanted to dance myself."

"_Ayame-neechan would never let you live it down,"_ Kirlia observed with a laugh, remembering the boy's panic when he thought they'd stopped serving his beloved soup.

"No. No she would not," Naruto agreed, mussing the hair between Kirlia's horns, and retrieving his captured arm when she tried swiping at the other.

He slid his arm around her once more, while she 'fixed' her hair.

"So... is the dancing an every day thing now?" He asked after a bit of thought.

"_Maybe,"_ Kirlia replied, after some pondering of her own. _"I didn't feel the urge when we were in the forest, or the tower, but I couldn't really see the sun in either place..."_

"And dancing in the Forest of Death could have been bad..." Naruto added.

"_True..."_ Kirlia agreed.

"Eh, I'm sure we'll figure it out," Naruto decided with a carefree shrug that bounced Kirlia's head. "Won't be the first thing we have to play by ear, and probably won't be the last either."

He held his free hand up and with a grunt of effort and some concentration, henged a kunai into existence.

Their first real puzzle, and the first real hint to his lost family.

"_You're getting better," _Kirlia complimented, though she of all people knew how much further he had to go with the technique.

"Yeah... Got the look down, which is nice," Naruto muttered. "Nice, but pretty useless until I can figure out how to strengthen the thing, it's a lot bigger than the claws, so it takes more control just to shape it right. And adding more chakra isn't doing much good to strengthen it..."

"_Maybe make the chakra denser?"_ Kirlia suggested. _"That worked with the claws too, right?"_

"Yeah, but it's not as easy as I hoped it'd be... and then there's the whole throwing thing," Naruto complained.

"_Eh, I'm sure we'll figure it out," _Kirlia said, mirroring his own confidence back at him.

"Damn right we will," Naruto agreed emphatically, twirling the chakra weapon in his hand and flicking it away towards a nearby wall.

As expected, the stupid thing destabilized and disintegrated almost as soon as it left his hand.

"What I wouldn't give for an Uzumaki jutsu scroll or something," Naruto muttered halfheartedly.

Kirlia pat his chest comfortingly, and let her faith in him flow freely.

"Alright, enough moping outta me!" Naruto decided after a few seconds of silence. "Anything else I should know about?"

"_I have fingers,"_ Kirlia said happily, evasively. _"And I'm much stronger now!"_

"I know! I saw that wall thing you did. Totally cool," Naruto replied cheerfully. "Wish I coulda seen Shino's face when you pulled that out..."

Kirlia shivered as she remembered the battle, and the feeling of so many bugs, crawling on her... in her hair... on her horns...

She pushed the memory away.

As a pure psychic type, bugs were one of her few fears, along with Ghosts and Dark types.

But she could endure, for Naruto, she could do anyth-

Unbidden, an image appeared in her minds eye: Naruto's admirer, Hinata Hyuuga.

"_Naruto... What would you do if I told you that something, or someone, might hurt you someday?"_ She asked vaguely.

While his first impulse was to laugh and reply that, as a ninja, it was almost guaranteed that she'd be right.

And as future Hokage, he was looking at a three in four chance of dying in battle, judging by the history books.

But he could tell she was serious, and worried about something specific.

"Like what?" He asked instead.

"_Like a broken heart,"_ she replied softly, closing her eyes as she thought of a way to put it...

"_To use an example... If Sakura did return your feelings, but became afraid of you and ran away, maybe even hated you, when she found out about the Kyuubi?"_

"Pretty specific example," Naruto chuckled fondly at the first half. "But what's the question?"

"_Pretty specific worry," _Kirlia countered. _"But Sakura is not involved, no matter how you might wish her to be... What I need to know is: If I know such a thing might happen, what should I do about it?"_

Naruto thought back to their cavern in the Forest of Death, and Kirlia's admission that he had some kind of secret admirer... And wondered what might be going on if this question was related.

"Well, I got a question for you then," Naruto said after a bit of fruitless pondering. "Do you plan to knock me out, or teleport me away, if I end up having to fight those bastards Gaara and Neji in the final match?"

"_Of course not!" _Kirlia replied, rolling over to look him in the eyes, shocked that he might even suggest such a thing.

"Cause we'll win, no matter what happens, right?" Naruto asked.

"_Right!" _Kirlia agreed.

"Even if they try killing us?" Naruto pressed. "We saw what they can do, we know that right now, they both might have a good chance of pulling it off, right?"

"_I... I will do everything I can to help you achieve your dream..." _Kirlia said, looking down at Naruto's chest, not wanting to contemplate that possibility. _"And to protect you..."_

"Then why should this be any different?" Naruto asked, placing his palm on the girlish pokemon's cheek and guiding her eyes to his. "When we're strong enough, we'll be taking missions and risking death every single day... I accepted that a long time ago. How much worse can getting dumped be?"

"_You don't understand... A broken heart is... It's like dying over and over, every day,"_ Kirlia tried to explain, putting her own hand over his, but not looking away. _"It's the most painful thing we remember, even true death is..."_

"I bet love is the best feeling though, right?" Naruto asked gently, interrupting the morose claim.

Kirlia, knowing Naruto well by now, nodded sadly.

"Then it looks like you gotta risk one to get the other..." Naruto said seriously. "So tell me: Is love worth it?"

"_...Yes," _Kirlia replied. _"It's a feeling beyond description... But Naruto... the Kyuubi... feeds on negative emotions... a broken heart could..."_

"We'll deal with it **If** it happens," Naruto interrupted again. "Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together. Long as you got my back, we can take on anything, missing-nin, biju... even the dreaded 'Girl'."

"_Naruto..." _Worry radiated off her, and Naruto shifted his hand to her back, pulling her close in a hug.

"Kirlia-chan... You probably know more about this emotional stuff than I ever will, but just trust me on this. You don't have to do anything, just let it happen if it's gonna. We'll play this one by ear too, 'kay?"

It didn't surprise him that she didn't agree immediately, or even within the time they were waiting for a shop to open, but he trusted Kirlia implicitly... She would see it his way in time.

It was only natural to be worried, hell, he worried about her all the time, but there was one thing he knew of that could probably match a broken heart, pain for pain.

And he never wanted to be that lonely again, even if he did have to risk getting dumped... After being shot down by Sakura so many times, it couldn't be that bad... right?

* * *

The sun was almost directly over head when Naruto hopped down from the rooftops, Kirlia landing lightly beside him, assisted in her aerial endeavors with liberal application of Confusion.

The little pokemon was bound and determined to keep up, even if she had to cheat a little... and forgo the pleasure of being carried.

A girl has her pride afterall.

The blond's clones had found over a dozen flower shops, scattered across Konoha, almost all opening the same time, and the vast majority were within spitting distance of a hospital or some kind of date spot.

Since there were three close to the hospital holding his teammates, all opening at the same time, Naruto made the decision by semi-random chance.

He went for the one with the most orange.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop!" A familiar voice called as he entered, setting the door chime jingling.

"Ino? What're you doing here?" Naruto asked in surprise. "Shouldn't you be training or something?"

He had noticed the name of the shop, but the Yamanaka were a fair sized clan, and he knew Ino's dad was the big shot leader, as well as an almost legendary ninja, so he had no reason to expect they'd have a boring old business on the side.

"I could ask you the same thing... if I didn't already know. You're going to visit Forehead and Hinata-cha~an," the bold blonde teased.

"Yep, gotta go in soon, or they might let Sakura-chan out before I get there," Naruto agreed. "And I did promise Kiba that I'd bring Hinata some flowers or something too."

Ino glowered at the oblivious boy, and shot a dirty look at Kirlia, who seemed a bit surprised by the expression.

"All right then," she said, looking away and adjusting her ponytail idly. "I'm stuck here anyway 'til Dad gets back from some meeting with the Hokage, so I guess I'll help you out. You have anything special in mind?"

"Well... for Sakura-chan, it's gotta be something really special..." Naruto said, looking around the shop idly, his eyes snagging on the prettiest of the flowers on display.

Kirlia slipped away, to flip through a book on the counter, allowing the humans to continue their work.

She was tempted to see about visiting with Ino's Gloom, but she could sense the pokemon, half dozing in the morning sun.

"Yeah yeah, everything's gotta be perfect for Billboard Brow," Ino griped. "When are you gonna get it? The girl has eyes for nobody but Sasuke-kun."

"Eh, a day or so after you all realize that the Teme's not looking for some kinda covergirl from a diet magazine," Naruto replied flippantly.

"Yeah, like you know what a guy like Sasuke-kun is looking for," Ino scoffed. "You two are nothing alike!"

"Please, the Teme ain't gonna go looking for a girlfriend until he takes out that Itachi guy," Naruto answered knowingly. "And when he does finally pull that off, he's probably gonna be so damn happy he'll probably kiss someone... at least. Which is why I plan to be very far away when it happens... after making sure the Teme can handle the bastard I mean."

"So you're saying... Sakura?" Ino realized, more than a little upset by the advantage held by her rival.

"Maybe, or maybe he'll be jounin by then and have his own team...Nah, that'd be kinda creepy." Naruto mused. "But Itachi's supposed to be a badass, so he'll probably wanna take a team of jounin to back him up in case the guy's got friends..."

"Either way, he's not gonna be taking some weakling eye candy along for the ride," Naruto decided with a shrug.

"Well, I'll remind you that I'm in the finals, unlike Sakura, so I'm stronger than her by default," Ino declared proudly.

"And I'll be sure to tell her that when I see her," Naruto replied, grinning. "Think they might have put her and Sasuke in the same room? I'm sure he'd love to hear about how you think he's a weakling now."

"That's not what I said and you know it!" Ino shot back.

"I know it, and you know it," Naruto fired back. "And Sasuke? Probably wouldn't give a damn."

"You're a real jerk sometimes, Naruto," Ino growled.

"Hey, you started it," Naruto scowled back.

"Fine, forget I said anything about your precious Sakura-chan," Ino decided with a sigh.

"...Maybe I should go to a different shop..." Naruto wondered aloud.

"No, no. It's fine," Ino said, waving her hand dismissively, and blowing out her frustration with a sigh.

Poor Hinata. Girl had to set her sights on the most hardheaded guy in the village.

How was a girl supposed to manipu... er, arrange for them to get together if the boy just wouldn't give up on a lost cause?

"All right then," Ino said, grabbing a pair of vases from under the counter. "Something special for the Forehead... And what about Hinata? Should I just use the boring flowers for her?"

Okay, so maybe not All her frustration was gone, but she could be professional... mostly.

"I... really don't know?" Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, I pretty much only agreed 'cause Kiba said she'd appreciate the visit, an' being stuck at the hospital sucks, but I really don't know anything about her."

"You are so hopeless," Ino sighed. "Fine, just let me handle everything. I promise, it'll be great!"

Naruto wisely consented to this proposal, and Ino disappeared into the back of the shop, heading right to the greenhouses where most of their flowers were grown fresh, and it was useful for the village too, since there were some plants hidden among the flowers that were very much off limits to anyone except Inoichi himself.

Just wasn't cost effective to keep a lot of prepared bouquets, though they did maintain a few of the staples, as any shop worth their patronage would.

But then, few kunoichi would be happy with something as common a a fistful of roses, not while the art of flower arranging was a required course in the academy, so there were a lot of custom orders to fill, and plenty of initiative to maintain a wide variety.

Naruto waited about as patiently as he ever did, pacing around for the first few minutes, occasionally wondering if he'd made a bad decision coming here...

But Ino was a friend, and while she may be one of those Sasuke obsessed girls that so confused him, she was still pretty cool.

So he eventually settled down next to Kirlia, looking through the catalogue of flowers, listing a number of interesting facts about each, including symbolism, medicinal properties, and other esoterica.

They burned nearly twenty minutes so occupied, without interruption by Ino or even other prospective clientele, before the girl returned, a vase full of flowers in each hand.

On the right, was a vase with a flower Naruto knew as a centerpiece, and around the paired daffodils were arrayed a number of other flowers, a few spikes of some tall pink kind, it's flowers growing in a line of almost one on top of the next, and a scattering of cone shaped flowers in a variety of pinks and purples. _(Daffodil, Gladiolus, and Morning Glory.)_

To the left, a single pristine flower stood tall, it's petals thin and fluttery, though most were bunched in the center. Surrounding and supporting this, was a wealth of stalk-like plants, their flowers tiny and yellowish orange, sprinkled among which were small bunches of white flowers with yellow cores that looked a little like the daffodils, though much smaller. _(Carnation, Mignonette/Reseda, Narcissus.)_

"Okay then, just to make sure, you like 'em, right?" Ino asked proudly. "Of course ya do, they're perfect!"

"_Very lovely," _Kirlia agreed, leaning over to get a closer look at the spiky pink flower.

"Darn right they are," Ino agreed. "And that one there's for Forehead, should be easy to remember."

Naruto nodded his agreement, Kirlia unconsciously mimicking the gesture as her fingers traced one flower after another, barely brushing the petals.

Ino considered sending a gift of her own along with Naruto, something special just for Sasuke... but suppressed the desire, remembering what Naruto had said about the boy.

Flowers were many things, but Sasuke wasn't likely to appreciate any of them, after a defeat like the one he'd suffered, especially from someone he could have easily beaten, if the lots had come up different.

Settling the tab, including a small fee for her arranging efforts, Ino shooed the pair away with a few threats for the road, and one small slap when Naruto tried to take to the rooftops.

And she'd be sure to make sure to check with Sakura to ensure that he hadn't messed up her arrangement before arrival.

Naruto and Kirlia set off down the road at a comfortable pace as Ino watched...

"Damn that boy is dense," the girl muttered, before brushing her long bang out of her eyes and returning to her work.

* * *

Kirlia walked along a half step behind Naruto, hands loosely clasped at her back.

It was still pretty early in the day, but there were enough people out that the boy earned a few chuckles and the occasional amused look from the men and women they passed.

She wondered why he didn't just ask her to teleport them there, but Naruto seemed bound and determined not to be bothered by the people around him, despite his apparent embarrassment at the innocent attention.

Besides, it was only a couple blocks, and she had a problem of her own to think about...

It seemed apparent that for whatever reason, Ino, like Kiba, knew about Hinata's feelings for Naruto, and supported the girl...

Kirlia stole a glance towards Naruto, her eyes catching on the vases for a moment.

Naruto...

Part of her, a large, almost overwhelming part, wanted to protect Naruto, to put his earlier claims from her mind and do what she felt, knew, to be safe... but... knowing his wishes, and the potential damage she could cause to his loyal friends by doing so...

"_Naruto, I need to go... do a Kirlia thing,"_ she said as they approached the hospital. _"I'll catch up later... Okay?"_

"Um... sure?" Naruto replied, turning to look at her curiously. "But I thought we talked about all the new stuff... Did ya forget one?"

"_No... but... I didn't tell you about it..." _Kirlia replied hesitantly, feeling the boy's suspicion. _"I... I don't know what to do, what I should do... You'll be visiting with your friends... so I can go ask someone for advise..."_

"Ah, ya mean like one of those Garde-girls, right?" Naruto mused, nodding to himself. "I mean, since they had to go through the same thing and all... Well, if ya gotta do it, ya gotta do it... just... remember, we're family now, so if you ever got something ya need to talk about anything at all, I'm here for ya..."

"_I know, and thank you for understanding..."_ Kirlia grabbed the boy in a quick hug, pressing her cheek into his belly before stepping back and vanishing in a flash of blue light.

"Anytime, Kirlia-chan..." Naruto whispered sadly, wondering at the way she acted sometimes.

He shook his head, steeled his spine and strode into the hospital.

Kirlia was growing up, just like any kid, it was just a little more obvious than most, since she changed literally overnight, rather than over a few years.

Growing up was fine, good, great even... just so long as she didn't grow away...

But there were still times, like earlier on the awning, when she was his little Ralts-chan again, so he wouldn't worry too much... yet.

He just hoped the next evolution wasn't quite so jarring.

* * *

Kirlia appeared again in front of a simple door, and knocked on it with a little too much force to be properly polite.

It was barely a minute before the door opened, revealing a man in the middle of dressing for work.

"_I'm seeing visions of the future..." _Kirlia explained quickly, before she lost her nerve. _"And I need advice."_

Iruka Umino, teacher, friend, and confidant to many, blinked at this revelation, but stepped aside and gestured for the little pokemon to enter his home.

He would probably be late to class, but it would be a good test for his assistant in training...

* * *

Naruto ended up waiting in the lobby of the hospital almost half an hour as visitors were interviewed, approved or denied, and sent on their ways.

It wasn't very surprising with the influx of genin, and the number of concerned family and friends, though an inordinate amount of those turned away were attempting to visit Sasuke.

It would have been funny, if years of chasing Sakura hadn't made him somewhat sympathetic to their plight.

Thankfully, as part of Team Seven, he didn't have to do much to prove his right to visit the injured genin, and once his turn came around, he was ushered on easily.

Naruto was directed through the halls by Anbu, conspicuous in both their visibility and the intensity of their ever shifting attention, more than one of which brought fingers up in the half-rat seal commonly used to focus chakra.

When he arrived at his team's room, the two having been lodged together for the sake of convenience, one of the three Anbu guarding the hall full of genin met him, silently demanding first one vase, then the other, looking them over before permitting the boy entry.

As he entered, Sakura waved a quick greeting from her hospital bed, smiling slightly, as she returned to petting Eevee, who rested in her lap oblivious to all but the teasing fingers of her partner.

Sasuke, merely flicked his eyes up at Naruto and grunted, not even bothering to interrupt his large breakfast with a greeting.

Charmeleon, spared him a glance from his position at the window, and graced the boy with a dignified nod of his scaly head before returning his attention to the day outside.

"You're here early," Sakura said, eyeing the flowers and ignoring her roommates' apparent disinterest. "And you brought Sasuke flowers too! How sweet!" She added teasingly.

That actually did get Sasuke's attention, in the form of a dark glare, which Naruto grinned at impishly.

"Nah, but if he's jealous, I could run out and get him some," Naruto offered, setting the vase with the puffy flower down on a nearby counter as he made his way over. "You'd be surprised how many people are here to see him... Not that they're letting 'em up here, security's pretty tight 'round here."

"These, however, are for you," He said primly, offering Sakura the flowers while mimicking the kind of bow he'd seen the handsome heroes use in movies.

They usually ended up getting kissed by the girl before the movie was over, so it couldn't hurt, right?"

"Well, it's a sweet gesture, so I'll take them... This time," Sakura agreed with an exasperated look, though she did bring the bouquet close for a smell before setting them on the table next to her, turning it a bit so it would look just so. "They're... nice, Naruto. Thank you..."

"Well, you're welcome," Naruto replied, cheeks pink with embarrassment. "I didn't know Ino would be at the shop I went to, but she seems to really know her stuff."

"Apparently... Sasuke-kun told me she made it to the finals," She muttered, bunching the bedsheet in one frustrated fist.

"Yeah, but she's goin' against the teme that beat Teme," Naruto said. "So she's gonna have a time getting any further than that... No offense Sasuke, but that guy was good."

"He was." Sasuke replied, tapping the side of his neck. "But some good seems to have come of it... and as long as we smash the next exam, I think I can let this one slide..."

Sakura nodded eagerly. "You bet! I mean, Kiba got me good this time, but next time... Next time Eevee and I will be ready for anything!"

"Same here!" Naruto agreed. "Team Seven all the way! Dattebayo!"

"Dobe, you realize if you get promoted this time, you won't be able to join us for the next, right?" Sasuke asked, draining a bit of the boy's enthusiasm.

"Well, you remember what the Hokage said at the beginning though? Even if he wins, there's a chance he won't get promoted," Sakura added. "Not that I'm hoping you don't, but... It's like Sandaime-sama said, there's a chance no one will, and it's probably scored on a lot more than just skill."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto replied, waving away her worry. "It probably counts tactics, versatility and a whole lot of other stuff... and I get what ya mean. I'm gonna try to get that promotion, cause you know I'm me, but if I don't? No sweat, we'll know what to expect next time and we'll crush everybody, hopefully with no snake-freak to get on our case."

Sasuke and Sakura agreed with that sentiment, as did Charmeleon and Eevee, though the Fire Type's tail-flame flared a bit at the idea of facing the man once more in glorious combat.

"If I never meet that creep again, it'll be too soon," Sasuke muttered.

"Tell me about it," Sakura replied, shaking her head rapidly. "I'll be having nightmares about him for months!"

"But enough about him, what are you planning to do for the next month?" Sakura asked, looking at Naruto earnestly. "We should be out sometime today or tomorrow, so you know we'll help where we can, right Sasuke-kun?"

"Hngh," Sasuke grunted with a shrug, tossing the now empty food tray onto the empty table beside him and laying back to rest his arms behind his head and stare out the window himself.

"That's a yes," Sakura whispered loudly, a claim the Uchiha neither confirmed nor denied.

"Like it's even a question?" Naruto laughed. "Half our training is tryin' to beat the snot outta each other, and we always wanna do that!"

"You two are such boys sometimes," Sakura chided, half serious.

"Maybe, but at least it's fun," Naruto agreed. "But as for training... I really don't know yet. I mean, I gotta fight that Kin girl first, so that shouldn't be too bad, but then it's either Shikamaru or that Puppet guy from Suna."

"Shikamaru will be tough, too smart to just punch my way through, if he even bothers fighting at all, and I don't know much about that other one, aside from what we saw in the match."

"Kankuro, one of the Kazekage's sons, according to Kabuto," Sakura reminded him. "But I see your point, he probably won't be easy, and we can bet he didn't use all his tricks against Tenten."

"She should have blown him up," Sasuke added.

"I'll call that plan B," Naruto replied. "Might become Plan A if I can get Kakashi to let me buy some more tags... Not gonna risk that butt-poke thing again..."

"Probably for the best," Sakura agreed, remembering the way Naruto had shrieked from the childish, if effective, punishment.

"Yeah. But anyway, all I got planned for today is visiting you guys, and Hinata, since I promised Kiba I would," Naruto continued. "After that it'll probably be lunch time, so Ichiraku's, then... I dunno, maybe try to find Kakashi, or go to Iruka-sensei's place to see if they have any advice."

"Kakashi will probably meet up with us on his own tomorrow," Sasuke commented. "The sealing went more smoothly than he expected, thanks to Neji, but he said he'd be meeting with the Hokage."

"Be nice if I knew where he lived..." Naruto grouched, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Doubt he'll ever tell us," Sakura replied. "Does make you wonder what he's like though, I mean when he's not being our sensei."

"Lazy and perverted probably," Sasuke mused. "Bet he never takes his mask off there either..."

"I wonder if he has a mouth..." Naruto wondered aloud.

"Of course he does," Sakura said. "He probably just has scars or something, like the one over his eye. Maybe he got injured saving one of his teammates or something, and he just doesn't like people seeing it?"

"...Yeah, I could see that," Naruto agreed.

"Or... maybe he's just really pretty, and people kept thinking he was a girl when he was younger," Sasuke countered with a sly grin.

Naruto snickered at that idea, farfetched though it might seem.

"What makes you suggest that?" Sakura asked innocently.

Sasuke was silent a long moment as his mind drifted back to his childhood, closing his eyes and envisioning the first day his brother complained about the confusion.

"I... used to know someone who had that problem," he eventually admitted, turning his attention to the silent and stable Curse Mark.

Not even a flicker, he was pleased to note.

Naruto stopped laughing at the tone in Sasuke's voice, and stared a glance with Sakura.

"Um... so, I was gonna ask earlier, but the flowers kinda distracted me," The girl said after some quick thought. "Where's Kirlia gone off to? You two are always together... And what about Karin?"

"Kirlia had some Kirlia things to do, so she... went away for a little while," Naruto admitted. "And last I heard, Karin was gonna have to go meet up with her team's jounin-sensei to figure out what he was gonna do."

"When is Kirlia going to get back?" Sakura asked, more than a little shocked by the pokemon's absence. "Is it something serious?"

"I... I gotta admit, I don't really know," Naruto replied. "She's acting different... I guess I didn't realize how much a pokemon could change when they evolve. I mean, Char's not too different from when he was a Charmander, but Kirlia? She was dancing on my balcony this morning at sunrise... It's a 'Kirlia thing' apparently... Dancing, wham outta the blue. And I know there's something else, but I'm afraid to ask what."

"That is pretty strange," Sakura admitted, "but there are stranger things. Eevee is a good example. She has seven different evolutions, every one of which will be a little bit different. I mean, one doesn't even need to eat anymore, and another can just turn into water whenever it wants..."

"But that's all powers, I'm talking personality!" Naruto interrupted. "I'm worried, I mean, sometimes she's just like my little Ralts-chan, and sometimes I barely recognize her..."

"I understand, really I do," Sakura replied, reaching over to take Naruto's hand in hers. "But a pokemon's evolutional form and personality are linked, intrinsically so."

"And Charmeleon is a lot different from Charmander, if you know where to look," Sasuke added seriously, the pokemon turning to meet his eyes with a sharp grin. "He's more stubborn than before, hot-headed even, and always looking for a fight... I bet he'd challenge Absol, or even the Hokage's Infernape, if he thought he might have half a chance."

"Charmeleon!" The pokemon barked in agreement, dark energy licking across it's claws as he unconsciously activated his favored enhancement.

"See?" Sasuke asked, shifting his gaze towards Naruto. "Char did change, but it mostly enhanced aspects that were already there. Kirlia though... Maybe it's just more difficult for Psychic types to adjust to the mental stuff that got added?"

"Especially if it's like what she already has?" Sakura added contemplatively. "She could already feel people's emotions... Imagine how disorienting that must be if it got stronger. Especially in the middle of the village, with so many people around. It'll probably take some time for her to adjust..."

"I... guess that makes sense," Naruto allowed, thinking deeply as he considered it from that angle.

"I'm sure it'll be okay, just trust her, and us," Sakura suggested, giving his hand a squeeze before releasing it.

Naruto shook himself bodily, clenching his fists and standing strong.

"Yeah! Yeah, I don't have time to be mopey and worried!" Naruto nearly shouted. "What would Kirlia-chan think if she was here? She'd feel me all depressed, and that would make her depressed, and then I'd feel worse, and on and on until we looked like Sasuke!"

"Well I ain't gonna let that happen! Not in a million years!" Naruto decided, putting his foot down in a very literal sense. "Me an' Kirlia-chan, we'll get through this, an' when she becomes a Garde-girl, we'll get through that too!"

"Okay, we get it!" Sakura hissed fiercely, embarrassed in the boy's stead. "Now quiet down before they throw you out or something!"

"Oh... uh, sorry?" Naruto mumbled, scratching his cheek. "But it's true..."

"Yeah yeah, we get it," Sasuke muttered. "You two are inseparable... like badly made chopsticks."

"You're just jealous," Naruto countered.

"Not even a little," Sasuke replied.

"Denial is so ugly, wouldn't you agree, Sakura-chan?" Naruto teased.

"Indeed it is, completely and utterly," She answered, nodding sagely.

"Hmph," Sasuke grunted turning to stare out the window once more.

Sasuke's apparent quota for social interaction spent for the moment, the Uchiha seemed bound and determined to forget the others existed, a desire his teammates accepted, albeit not without a few more teasing remarks that went ignored.

* * *

Naruto spent a while longer chatting with Sakura, reassuring her that he and Kirlia would be fine, as well as reaffirming his promise to help her and Sasuke train for the next exam, regardless of whether he passed or failed this one.

Eventually though, he ran out of things to chat about, and was forced to call an end to the visit, though he would have much rather considered it a date, he knew that wasn't what it was, even if it was one of the few times he and Sakura had hung out for almost purely social reasons.

He asked the Anbu guards on the floor, and was directed towards Hinata's room, a few doors down, and opposite Sakura and Sasuke's.

Naruto walked over and pushed the door open quietly, peeking in and tapping on the door when he noticed the girl was awake, and that she apparently had a room to herself.

The girl looked up from where she sat curled in the bed, arms wrapped around her knees, looking the very image of worry.

The fight was still hazy in her mind, but the bandages she found upon awaking were worrisome, aside from the thick padded linen wrapped around her forehead, which was downright terrifying.

When the door opened, she wasn't sure who to expect, since it did so with neither a boisterous greeting from Kiba, nor the swift entrance of the stone-faced branch members that never seemed far from Hiashi when he was out and about.

She certainly didn't expect to see the shyly smiling boy of her dreams standing there, peering around the half open door.

"Hey, mind if I come in?" Naruto asked, looking rather unsure of his welcome, eyes shifting from her to Vulpix, who lay on the foot of her bed, one dark eye peeled to glare at the interruption to her beauty sleep.

"Um... P-please do?" Hinata stuttered, unable to look away from the brilliant blue eyes she so adored.

Could he have come here because he was worried about her? Proud of her? If only she could remember what happened!

He entered fully, letting the door swung shut behind him, and her heart nearly stopped as she noticed the beautiful flowers he'd brought.

"These are for you," he said, once more his carefree self. "I hope you like them."

"They're... beautiful," Hinata whispered, awed at the gift from the boy she'd admired from afar, holding the vase of flowers close, as if it might vanish if she let go for an instant.

This was... This was perfect. Not like any of her fantasies, but he visited her. He cared about her! Nothing could ruin this...

"I'm glad," Naruto replied with an embarrassed grin. "Sakura-chan liked hers too, so I guess Ino did do pretty good making 'em... I'm pretty dumb about stuff like that..."

"Oh... How is S-Sakura-san? And Sasuke-san too, did they win their m-matches?" Hinata asked politely, pushing the disappointment down with the ease of too much practice.

Of course he was only here because of Sakura...

"I wish," Naruto muttered darkly. "Sasuke got beat by the jerk that was messin' with you before the match, an' Kiba managed to beat Sakura-chan, but it was three on two, so he totally cheated."

"Sorry," Hinata mumbled, knowing that Neji and Kiba had both caused Naruto-kun trouble.

"Hey, don't worry 'bout it, not your fault," Naruto said cheerfully, leaning against the wall nearby, close enough to talk comfortably, but far enough away to allow the timid girl her space. He didn't want to scare her again afterall.

"Besides, you can't waste time worrying about stuff like that, not when your first fight's gonna be against either Ino or that bastard that beat Sasuke."

"My... f-fight?" Hinata repeated more than a little surprised. "You m-mean I... won?"

"Yeah, you got knocked around pretty bad though," Naruto replied. "Took him out like a champ in the end. Wham! Heatbutt no jutsu! He went down for good after that."

"I... I didn't..." Hinata stammered, touching the wrapped bandages on her head.

"Like I said, you got knocked around a bit," Naruto said with a frown. "Maybe more than a bit... that guy was pretty pissed for some reason..."

"I see," Hinata replied with a heavy sigh of relief. "T-thank you Naruto-kun... I was... worried."

"Hey, no prob," Naruto replied, waving the thanks away as no big thing. "From what I saw, bastard probably deserved it. Jerks like that might give Konoha a bad name."

Hinata smiled shyly as she focused on the vase in her hands, turning it around and around nervously as her cheeks glowed.

She had won! And Naruto had... well, if not congratulated her, he at least acknowledged her victory... and even seemed proud of her!

The feeling was wonderful, despite the tiny bit of her that was actually happy Sakura had lost, and not just because her opponent had been Kiba, a fellow member of Team Eight, but because in a sense, it was a victory over her reluctant rival in love...

One of them anyway.

"N-Naruto-kun? May I ask... W-why you decided to visit me... today?" Hinata asked shakily, breaking the fragile quiet that had settled between them.

Naruto watched the girl, who shifted nervously a bit, and wondered why he had a feeling that the question she was asking, wasn't the question she wanted answered.

He was unpleasantly reminded of the many pop quizzes he'd failed in the academy.

"Well... to be honest... Kiba asked me to," Naruto replied, shoving his hands in his pockets and watching the girl as rocked on his feet, wondering what it was about girls that made them so tough to figure out. "I was already gonna come in to visit Sakura-chan, cause lets face it, when's the next time I'm gonna be able to give her flowers without getting grouched at? In front of the Teme no less!"

"Well, Kiba said you might appreciate a visitor, even if it is just me, but that's fine, when I'm Hokage you can brag that I did, it'll be great!" Naruto declared, flashing her a wide grin as he reiterated his dream. "...Besides, I know how much it can suck being stuck all by yourself. Hospitals are scary and boring and all around bad."

"I... I see... T-thank you, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, tangled in her own emotions, her face half hidden by the flowers she held.

Happy that Kiba would suggest such a thing, and something beyond simple joy that Naruto would agree... but sad that Naruto only really did because he was going to be nearby anyway, even if he didn't think she should be lonely... and shame because...

...because Naruto-kun was here, alone in the room, and she could barely talk to him.

The silence stretched again, an old friend to both, but grating nonetheless.

Now that he was here, Naruto wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He had delivered the flowers, and she seemed to like them, but now what? He really didn't have anything to chat with her about, not like his own team... He barely even knew the quiet girl.

"Naruto-kun,-"

"Hey I,-"

"Sorry, what were you gonna say?" Naruto asked, a bit embarrassed at cutting the girl off, even if he'd just been about to head out.

"I... I just..." Hinata struggled with herself, fighting to find the words to speak, not even certain what she wanted to say. How could she explain how much this one boy meant to her?

...and what would she do if he pushed those feelings away?

Part of her refused to believe that to be possible, not Naruto, the kindest, most expressive boy she ever knew...

But...

"I... wanted to t-thank you," she said at last, her will to confess her feelings crumbling under the weight of his total attention. "For... v-visiting me, and the f-flowers and every-y-thing..."

"No prob, I'm glad I was able to help too, telling ya about the fight I mean," Naruto replied, smiling at her once more.

Hinata tried to smile back, but even to her it felt forced.

"Well, I guess I better get going... I'm gonna have to get some training in if I'm gonna beat all of you in the finals... No offense," Naruto said, pushing away from the wall and gesturing towards the door.

"Good luck, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly.

"You too, I'll be expecting awesome matches outta all us rookies in the finals, so do your best!" He replied, flashing her a thumbs up as he left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Hinata held the vase close as she wondered if she would ever be strong enough.

"_Well... at least I didn't faint..."_ She thought fondly, realizing that maybe, just maybe she was getting somewhere... maybe?

* * *

Iruka and Kirlia sat at his kitchen table, her hands wrapped around a warm cup of tea, while he himself had downed his own quickly before pouring a second and sipping it more sedately as he thought.

The little pokemon had taken a small sip herself, though he believed it was only for the sake of politeness, and then sat silently watching him.

Kirlia, though neither human, nor ever having been a member of the academy, was his student in as real a sense as any of the children he'd helped to grow into ninja, and as such, he owed her the same level of consideration that he did them.

In a sense, it wasn't so different a situation from the times, too many times he often believed, that he'd had to console a young ninja who'd returned from a mission having taken a life for the first time...

Or worse, having lost a teammate or pokemon partner.

Now, like then, something had changed which could not be undone, and all that was left was to move forward.

But there was one major difference: How was this wrong, exactly? It had to be part of her pokemon nature, and he'd never heard of a pokemon being confused, bothered occasionally, but never confused by something inherent to their species.

So what did she need advice about?

Well, as he'd always told his students: If you don't understand something, ask.

"What precisely do you need me to help with?" Iruka asked seriously. "I'm not exactly an expert on this sort of thing..."

"_No,"_ Kirlia agreed. _"But you are smart, brave, and a good person... but most importantly, I trust you. I cannot go to my kin, because I already know their stance, so I must turn to someone... other than Naruto."_

"Why not Naruto?" Iruka asked, not entirely surprised. She would never have come here alone unless she wanted, or needed, to hide something from the boy.

"_Few pokemon can see the future in such as it truly is, set and immutable,"_ Kirlia explained. _"Dialga-sama, and Celebi-sama primary among them... They see what will happen, the results of decisions that haven't yet been made or even offered... But what I see is different, oracular in nature, they are premonitions and warnings of what may come... but they are not promises."_

"It still sounds pretty useful," Iruka replied. "The Hokage, any Kage, would give up a lot to have a power like that."

"_And that is why it has become custom among pokemon to hold silent about such powers," _ Kirlia said. _"All too often, such visions can become self-fulfilling prophecy, if reacted to imprudently. Many have died attempting to avoid an envisioned battle, only to find it along their new course..."_

"I... can see how that would be a worry, but then, why come to me?" Iruka asked again.

"_Because... I may have made a mistake," _she admitted reluctantly, avoiding his eyes for the first time._ "I... was trying to protect Naruto... and may have put someone on a path she was never meant to walk."_

"Ah, so this is about Hinata Hyuuga, isn't it?" Iruka remarked knowingly.

"_You know about that!?"_ The little pokemon asked, sloshing her tea in her surprise.

Iruka nodded.

"Kurenai is an old friend of mine, and she paid me a visit last night, asking me to talk to Naruto," He explained. "Hinata doesn't have a very stable home life, and her team is starting to worry about the way she's been approaching her training lately... and apparently they attribute some of that worry to you."

"_With good reason... I spoke to Naruto about it myself, and Kiba," _Kirlia admitted, shame and worry tinting her words. _"I... will stop intruding where I am not welcome, but I will probably still worry."_

"There's nothing wrong with worrying," Iruka replied somberly. "It's one sign of a good person, or pokemon, as long as it doesn't interfere with the one you worry about. I've been a teacher for a few years now, and sometimes I still worry about the students I've passed."

"Did I teach them enough? Did I make a mistake, letting this one or that one continue on to become a ninja? Will they survive their next mission?" Iruka mused aloud. "That one especially worries me when I'm handing the mission scrolls out... I worried a lot while you all were in Wave, you know... But no matter how I worry, in the end, I have no choice but to step back and let you all live your lives... It's my responsibility, as your teacher."

Iruka frowned at his cup before setting it down and interlacing his fingers, gazing at Kirlia with a forlorn expression.

"Regret though... Regret can kill a ninja as surely as any blade," He said softly. "And even when it doesn't kill, it leaves a scar that might never heal."

"I have graduated almost a hundred ninja in the years I've been a teacher... I've been to the funerals of seventeen, and another nine were either crippled or traumatized enough to leave the service. But I'm just a sensei, I teach and I train, and I've never really served in a war... My scars are light in comparison to some people's."

"_Kakashi-sensei..."_ Kirlia said softly, remembering the day of their bell test, and the feelings she'd sensed from the man at the cenotaph that day.

"He is one," Iruka agreed. "And I don't even want to think about the things Sandaime-sama regrets after so many years leading the village. Every mission he approves above D-rank is a balancing act with the Shinigami holding the scales."

Kirlia nodded, a bare shift of the head as she gained yet another worry for her partner's future... and this one, she couldn't even imagine trying to forestall.

"_But what do I do?"_ She asked sadly.

"About Hinata? Nothing you can do really," Iruka replied with a sigh, dropping his hands back to his cup. "She's got Vulpix, good teammates, and a devoted sensei... They'll do what they can to help her."

"_But I should do something!" _Kirlia protested. _"I... I made a mistake, and I should apologize, or... or something!"_

"What could you do that might not make things worse?" Iruka asked. "Even apologizing might be taken as patronizing, if it's done at the wrong time. And if I know her clan like I think I do, she's going to be..."

"Let's just say, sometimes, the best thing to do is step back and let things cool. The finals are only a month away, and that's bound to leave everyone involved a bit strained," he advised, seeming to reconsider saying anything too specific about the girl's immediate future.

"_I... I did come for advice..."_ Kirlia replied with a sigh. _"I would be a fool to dismiss it now... I will do as you say, and leave it until after then... But what of the visions? The next, or the one after? There will be more, eventually, even on the island, isolated from the world at large, Kirlia see them."_

"Then stop thinking about it like a Kirlia. Think like a ninja," Iruka advised with a wink. "Expect the problem, prepare for it, but **Do Not** let it rattle you. A panicked ninja is a dead ninja."

"If you see a trap or ambush, advise caution... or force the issue, if Naruto's being reckless again. If you expect a battle, set an ambush of your own. If you think the apple Naruto wants to eat might even have a worm, cut the thing in half." Iruka explained, poking the table with a finger as he made his examples.

"You are the one who understands these things, and you are the best one to try and turn them to advantage... So do it. An unused talent is a kunai forgotten, it's not much different than a bloodline gift when you get right down to it."

"_Thank you,"_ Kirlia replied, hopeful once more. _"I will do as you say... I will protect Naruto, and Konoha with my visions... But... Should I tell him? About the visions?"_

The teacher sighed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms as he sank into thought, weighing the risks and calculating the benefits.

"If it were anything else... almost anything else," He said at last. "I would say yes, without hesitation. But this is... it's big, major, dangerous, and you've already said that pokemon with this power don't advertise it, I assume with good reason."

"I want to say yes," Iruka admitted with a sigh. "But this isn't my call, for better or worse, it's your decision, and if you choose not to tell him, not yet anyway... I won't say a thing to him about it. This is one call you have to make on your own."

"_I understand," _Kirlia replied with a deep bow of her head. _"Thank you for your honesty."_

"Anytime, really," Iruka replied with a small smile, though it quickly became strained. "Speaking of honesty though... you do know I have to tell the Hokage about something like this, right?"

"_I knew before I decided to come here,"_ Kirlia said simply.

"Then I hope to prove worthy of your trust," Iruka said sympathetically. "I'll tell him everything just as you told me, including that it's not the sort of fact that can be spread around,"

"_Or the kind of power that can be relied on," _Kirlia added. _"But please, tell him that if I ever foresee a threat to Konoha, or it's people, I will inform him immediately."_

"I'm sure he will appreciate it," Iruka replied with an understanding smile.

Kirlia smiled fondly back at him and hopped down from her seat, sending the cup floating to the sink with Confusion as she did.

"Headed back to Naruto?" Iruka asked idly, knowing he couldn't really send the boy a greeting and still hold the secret of her visit.

"_The hospital lobby," _She replied. _"Naruto is visiting Sasuke and Sakura there, and will be seeing Hinata as well... It is probably best if I not join him there."_

"He finally noticed?" Iruka guessed, though he frowned when he considered how that thought meshed with the conversation he'd just had with Kirlia.

"_Kiba's suggestion actually," _Kirlia answered. _"He seems quite... supportive of her."_

"He's an Inuzuka, and a genin team is about as close to family as some ninja ever have," Iruka said, drawing an obvious correlation towards her own team. "He's got her back just as much as you have Naruto's."

Kirlia wasn't sure what to say to that, knowing how far she herself would go to protect Naruto, it was somewhat intimidating to know that a boy just as determined might be aligned against her.

Especially when that boy had a dog and a dinosaur to back him up...

Just one more reason to reevaluate her decisions regarding the Hyuuga girl...

With one more long suffering sigh at the burden of trying to understand human interaction, Kirlia vanished from the room.

Iruka waited exactly five seconds to be certain she was gone, before jumping up and making haste out the door and to work, hoping his poor assistant was okay.

* * *

it had been a good day for Hinata Hyuuga, even if it had started under a cloud of worry.

First, like a miracle brought by Ho-oh itself, Naruto appeared at her door, bringing the news of her victory in the preliminary round, and the most beautiful bouquet of flowers she's ever seen.

Admittedly, the simple fact that they were from him meant that they could have been a bunch of dandelions ripped from the hospital's lawn, and she's still have felt the same joy.

Then she an hour or two of peaceful meditation, much of which she spent in girlish fantasy, defeating her cousin in honorable combat in front of Naruto-kun, and earning his eternal respect... (and a date!)

Right around lunch her team arrived, Kiba and his slightly more feral familiars practically crowing in triumph when he learned about Naruto's visit, and he probably would have strained his own arm patting himself on the back if Shino hadn't managed to deflate the sail of his ego with a few quiet words.

They remained through the afternoon visiting hours, telling her about how the rest of the matches went, as well as her own, which despite her best efforts, she was still hazy on. They, or rather Kiba, told the story in great detail, though the girl had a strange feeling they were withholding some detail.

She suspected it was the extent of her injuries... they weren't too bad now, but a main branch Hyuuga would of course receive the best treatment, certainly enough to start the mending process on any significant problems.

She had asked one of the nurses, after her teammates had left, and the list of injuries she had sustained seemed to validate her theory, though the nurse assured her that she would be 'right as rain' in a couple more days.

She lay in her bed watching the sun set through her window, wondering if Naruto-kun was doing the same, probably from the top of the Hokage monument... he was daring like that afterall... when her attention was caught by noise not far from her door.

She strained her ears to hear, resisting the urge to utilize her byakugan, which would be a gross breach of etiquette in such a public place.

"Hiashi! You Shouldn't be here! Visiting hours ended a long time ago!" the first voice hissed, one Hinata easily identified as her sensei.

"Kurenai. I presume it was upon your order that the report of Hinata's success was delayed?" The voice was low, male, it's cadence familiar and as implacable as a glacier.

"It is my opinion as her sensei that she needs a day or two to recover from the ordeal before being subjected to a visit from you of all people!" Kurenai protested fiercely.

"She is my daughter, and at least nominal heir to the Hyuuga clan, I will not permit her to be coddled by a woman too weak for her rank!" The voice was chilling in it's intensity, despite the calm way it's message was delivered.

Hinata half expected frost to form on the blinds shielding her room from the hallway.

"As if you give a damn about Hinata, you smug, self-righteous bastard!" Kurenai spat back, the heat in her own words matching the Hyuuga leader's frosty tone. "You turned your back on her! You practically threw her out when-"

"Remember to whom you speak, jounin!" Hiashi demanded boldly, and Hinata could well imagine his eyes flashing with the frozen anger she could hear. "You know nothing of me, but I assure you of this: I will be walking through that door, allowing you to choose whether I do so by walking past you, or over you, is the only compromise I offer."

"You-"

"Choose." Hiashi ordered imperiously.

As clan head, it was his right to see any member of his own clan that had been hospitalized, at any time he might choose, unless said member was medically unstable or in intensive care.

As sensei, Kurenai had similar rights... but much as she might wish otherwise, his claim trumped hers, at least legally, she could not deny him access any more than he could deny her, outside of the clan walls anyway.

But she had little doubt that he would remove her bodily if he objected to her presence in the room while he was with Hinata.

Stepping aside, Kurenai bowed her head, reluctantly.

As the man move to reach for the door's handle, she blocked him with one arm, meeting his questioning glare with one just as powerful.

"She doesn't know how the fight ended," Kurenai whispered, her voice too low for Hinata to catch more than a mumble.

"Then she will have to be reminded," Hiashi replied, his voice as uncompromising as winter itself.

Kurenai's expression softened from the anger she felt for this man, remorse for the pain soon to come to poor Hinata, and she moved away, leaning against the tempered glass between the hallway and Hinata's room, crossing her arms under her breasts.

Hiashi put her out of his mind and pushed open the door, striding in with the same dignity and composure he always possessed, as his Branch member escorts took up positions flanking the door.

Gazing at his daughter, he watched the girl struggle to contain the anxiety within her, eyes flickering towards a vase of flowers more than once, seeming to draw strength from their presence.

"You were victorious in the second stage of the chunin examination," Hiashi stated. "And in the preliminary matches."

"Y-yes,"Hinata stuttered, swallowing thickly as she nodded, knowing that while the statement was just that, she was expected to acknowledge it in some way.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed momentarily at the stutter, and Hinata flinched, slightly, barely noticeable... to any but a Hyuuga.

"Are you aware of the method by which you won?" Hiashi asked.

"Y-yes, Otou-sama," Hinata replied, a knot forming in her gut as she wondered what he was getting at. "N-Naruto-kun... and K-Kiba-kun said it was a... a headbutt..."

Hinata seemed to shrink in on herself, bracing for a lecture on the inelegant, and sloppy, nature of her victory.

Hyuuga were supposed to use juuken, to be poised and perfect in every battle, they are not uncouth brawlers... She had heard the lecture before, often in response to her poor form.

"Indeed," Hiashi confirmed. "And while such an attack is... frowned upon, victory is more important than finesse, and for your success, I commend you."

Hinata stared at him in surprise, eyes glistening, her father had... he said...

"However. There is one thing, which we must discuss..." Hiashi continued on, sounding vaguely uncomfortable, though the sense was there so briefly that Hinata wasn't sure she hadn't imagined it.

The knot in her gut tightened, though she wasn't sure why.

When he, Hiashi Hyuuga, walked over and sat on the bed beside her, face unreadable, it crawled into her throat.

When he began to speak, the knot tried to hide behind her heart, and she herself, tried to hide tears of shame from a man who could see everything.

Minutes later, the only sounds Kurenai could hear were the girl's mourning for a man she hadn't even liked, but had killed without meaning to.

Fifteen minutes after he had entered, the door opened and Hiashi stepped out.

He looked to one of his guards and nodded once. The man nodded in return and settled back into his guard position. The second fell in behind Hiashi as the clan leader began walking away.

As he passed the distressed Kurenai, he spoke, and the woman's rage flared again.

"Do with her as you wish."

* * *

And there's Chapter 17, not quite as much as I hoped to clear, but it's the first day of the month of training, and I at least got the stuff I needed done in that day. Rest assured, each day of the month isn't gonna be quite this full, since it's mostly going to be training from here. I hope to clear the month training in two more chapters, three tops... but my record for fitting into schedules like that isn't too great...

I am glad I got some Kirlia and Naruto development in, as well as some Hinata stuff.

I know it's bound to come up somewhere, so I'll reiterate: Pairing remains undecided, but Hinata's a fun character to work with, and there are plans for her in the future development.

On another note: I know jack-all about flowers, can't even smell the things properly in fact, so if one of y'all knows them and thinks I messed the bouquet designs up (Lacking the 'filler' things for instance) I apologize, for those interested, I'll post the plant translations as I found them (Yay wikipedia). (Note that some meanings vary a lot in intent, so not every linked term applies... I think.)

Daffodil: Uncertainty, chivalry, respect or unrequited love, return my affection

Gladiolis: Strength of character, honor, conviction

Morning Glory: Love in vain

Carnation: (White) Sweet and lovely, innocence, pure love, faithfulness

Mignonette/Reseda: Worth

Narcissus: Unrequited love, selfishness

Unsigned Review Response:

Josher: Well, I would guess that this chapter shed a little light on the conflict between Hinata and Kirlia, but there's still more development to come, though admittedly the two will not interact significantly again for a fair while.

Hope y'all enjoyed,

-Mhyrloc


	18. The Uchiha's Library of Progress

This chapter constitutes most of the important events covering a week of time, and as a result, there's a bit of timeskipping here and there, mostly in the Training scenes. I apologize if there's any confusion though.

Disclaimer: See Chapter one

* * *

Sasuke stalked the streets of Konoha with a fierce scowl on his face, though he he did not slouch in the slightest, for neither shame nor anger inspired his glower.

He just wanted to be left alone.

It was barely an hour past dawn, and he had been approached eight times already by people offering their sympathy over his loss, complete with empty assurances that he'd certainly 'get it' next time.

Civilians all, their platitudes were more annoying than encouraging... As if the pudgy guy who ran a magazine stand had anything meaningful to offer on the subject of ninja advancement.

In fact, if it hadn't been for Sakura, he probably would have snapped at the third or fourth of these fools.

It was almost entertaining how easily the girl could hijack the congratulatory conversation, simply by pretending to assume she was included in the sentiment, accepting and vowing to do better for them both.

It was pretty easy to get the other person to leave them be, once they realized that Sakura was his teammate, a fact few people seemed to know at first, and that she too had apparently failed.

He glanced back at the girl, appreciating the fact that he'd been able to talk their way out of the hospital so early, though she quickly stifled a yawn when she realized he was looking at her.

She smiled brightly from her position, as always, half a step behind and to his left side, Eevee hopping along beside her, energetic despite the early hour.

Close enough to back him up, while still deferring to him for leadership.

Unlike Charmeleon, who paced along beside him, occasionally running ahead to chase the rats and cats and occasional pokemon they encountered, barking bursts of flame at them.

Thankfully, the attacks were aimed to scare, rather than sear, but Sasuke had little doubt that if any were strong enough to fight back properly, he would have a bit of a battle on his hands.

Over a day stuck in the hospital had not been good for the Flame Pokemon's patience, but as long as their Anbu escort didn't object to his idle aggression, Sasuke didn't see a reason to interfere.

In fact the only thing their almost invisible bodyguards seemed to have a problem with, was his choice of path, if he were to guess from the one who blatantly let himself be seen after a shortcut through one of the more unpleasant neighborhoods in Konoha.

If it was an attempted intimidation, it was a wasted effort, since the only people Sasuke was trying to avoid were the pushier civilians.

They exited an alley into one of the semi-significant streets near where he remembered Naruto's home being, a bit of info he'd collected in the distant past, just in case he needed it for retaliatory purposes... But Naruto had been smart, relatively speaking, and never crossed a line by desecrating the Uchiha compound with one of his pranks.

On Naruto's side of things, he just never considered basing one of his pranks there, since no one lived in the Uchiha district anymore, and the effort would go unappreciated, possibly even unnoticed.

Now that they were close, they stuck to the main streets, stopping once to buy some breakfast from a food cart that was run by a woman who could have passed for a kunoichi, or maybe one of the many former ninja within the city.

If the woman recognized them she didn't say so, a fact which the pair quite appreciated.

It wasn't long before they finally managed to track down Naruto's building, in part due to Charmeleon's sharp eyes catching sight of Kirlia sitting on the rail outside their front door.

Disdaining the stairs, the quartet hopped up the side of the building to them, and the acrid stench of paint thinner and wood varnish.

"_Hi!" _Kirlia called cheerfully, her telepathic voice unimpeded by the white mask she wore.

Both humans paused a moment to take in her appearance, specifically, the hair brushed casually over her left eye.

"Yo!" Naruto called, turning from his work and waving the stained brush in his hand.

He too wore a mask, and was currently imitating Kakashi, his headband tilted identically to the secretive jounin's.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, rubbing his nose to forestall a sneeze brought on by the unpleasant stink, he didn't mind the sign of weakness particularly, since Sakura and Eevee were doing much the same.

Charmeleon showed no such etiquette, though he did turn his head away so as to not burn his allies.

"Well," Naruto said, leaning in past the open door momentarily to grab the package of flimsy facemasks and toss them to Sakura. "Me an' Kirlia were talking yesterday, since Iruka-sensei had to stay late for some reason, an' I realized that it's been a pretty long time since I did anything nice for Door, since it's been so dang crazy lately."

"Your door?" Sakura repeated, donning the mask and passing the package, and a look, to Sasuke wondering if she had heard right.

"Yeah," Naruto confirmed, actively ignoring the disbelief he heard in her voice. He got the same from everyone he ever talked to about Door. "Well, we got to talking, and I figured: What's the best thing to get for a door?"

"A new house," Sasuke replied bluntly, mildly amused despite the ridiculousness of the situation.

"I... actually, I didn't think of that..." Naruto replied thoughtfully. "But anyway, I was thinkin' paint! New coat of bright orange paint to do the trick and make him feel like a brand new... door!"

Sasuke snorted and muttered something probably unflattering, but all Naruto could make out through the mask he'd donned was something that sounded like 'rooms'.

"So I went out and got the stuff," Naruto continued, ignoring the interruption. "Paint, Paint stripper, the whole thing, cause I wanna do it right, and after Touji's place, it'll be a snap... But then I saw this!"

He proudly swinging the denuded door, directing them to the half-stained grain of the wood, shot through with swirls and loops and barely visible symbols that shimmered in and out of focus.

The remains of nearly a decade of sealing expertise, charged and recharged with chakra over months and years by the Hokage during his many visits, enough that the pattern itself had burned into the wood.

A design no longer hidden by the aged paint of old, but also no longer flowing with the power that had created it, as Sarutobi no longer felt the defensive measure necessary, since even the most foolish of Naruto's detractors knew better than to attack a fully trained ninja.

Particularly one who held a portion of the reputation Team Seven had gained after the debacle in Wave.

Naruto had proven, more than proven, his ability to thrive as a ninja.

"It is kinda neat," Sakura admitted, watching the image slide back in forth in response to the angled morning light. "I've never seen something like that before."

"Odd if you ask me," Sasuke replied, eying the design curiously, though he dismissed it with a shrug. "But not really important, we came here for a reason. Let's go."

"Um... Okay? Where we going?" Naruto asked, hopping to his feet and making a shadowclone with careless ease.

Sasuke was almost taken by surprise with how easily Naruto agreed, but caught himself with a smirk. Leaping away to a nearby rooftop, followed almost instantly by his teammates, human and pokemon both.

Of less note was the Shadowclone, which immediately resumed the task left by Naruto.

Sasuke took off across the rooftops towards a building he knew quite well, glad to be taking the direct route now, a bit chagrined that he had tried to be nice by taking his time earlier...

But the time had been put to good use... and he half expected the Dobe to still be snoring this early in the day.

They came back to ground level in front of an inconspicuous building, little more than a storage shed by all appearances.

Sasuke dipped a hand into his pouch as he stepped up to the door, subtly slitting his thumb and spreading the blood across his fingers, a necessary step in releasing the locking seal on the door, keyed to allow only specific ninja to pass through.

Sasuke was proud to be the only genin, and the youngest, of those ninja, even if it was for an unpleasant reason.

The door opened smoothly, and Sasuke gestured for the others to enter.

Charmeleon, the only one who had been here before stalked in first, his tail-flame the only light within.

The others followed, and continued to do so when the candle-like light as it turned a corner and started down the staircase hidden by mundane clutter.

Naruto, Kirlia and Sakura looked around avidly, the latter drawing up short when she found a pair of silently intimidating Anbu guarding the first landing.

Sasuke simply nodded to the familiar figures and continued on, his friends falling in behind him once again.

When they were out of sight, the two guards shared a look and a shrug, surprised that for the first time in all of his visits, permitted only since his graduation to genin, Sasuke had brought another ninja along.

The steps spiraled downward for a considerable distance, finally opening up into a sizable room far beneath the streets of Konoha to reveal one of the village's many secret libraries.

"Sasuke-kun, a pleasure as always," A woman's voice called, unseen among the dimly lit aisles. "And with friends no less. A special occasion, I would presume?"

"Nanao-san," Sasuke called back, polite greeting in his tone. "I need to access the Uchiha library, if you would be so kind."

"Straight to business as always," the woman replied, sounding amused as she appeared from the gloom, surrounded by a nimbus of purple light, which revealed itself to be from a lamp-like pokemon that floated close behind her.

"Naruto, Kirlia, Sakura, Eevee," Sasuke introduced in his typically blunt manner, pointing to each in turn.

"A pleasure to meet you all, and to see you again as well, Charmeleon," Nanao said, bowing slightly to the group.

Team Seven offered their diverse greetings, with the unsurprising exception of Sasuke, whom Nanao favored with a small smile, before starting away down a different scroll lined aisle.

"What is this place? And who's that?" Sakura asked of Sasuke as she fell into step beside him, Naruto losing the opportunity to take the forward position due to his own curious oogling.

"This is one of the Konoha jutsu libraries," Sasuke replied simply. "And that is Nanao Ise, one of this one's caretakers."

"I thought these places were supposed to be some kinda big secret?" Naruto asked, following close behind in the narrow walkway. "How'd you find out about this place? An' why the hell do they let you in?"

"Because the Uchiha clan library was relocated here, after... what happened," Nanao replied, glancing over her shoulder at the group. "The clan grounds were no longer secure, so everything was moved here, until the Uchiha clan recovers enough that Sasuke-kun feels that they can protect them again."

"As to entry... Sandaime-sama felt it would be only right to allow Sasuke-kun to access the records, and those scrolls he would have been permitted under clan policy."

"I see..." Naruto mused, falling silent as he realized just how important this place must be to his rival, and how uncomfortable such talk might be for him.

They traveled in respectful silence through the twisting aisles, Naruto, Sakura, and Kirlia eyeballing the many scrolls and books they passed, some of which bore evidence of great age, until they came to a heavy looking door, which the woman opened with one hand, and a barely sensed pulse of chakra.

Bowing slightly, she gestured the group inside, stepping in after and taking a position of attentive patience near the doorway.

"Wait here," Sasuke ordered, pointing towards the single table on one side of the room and stalking over towards the series of shelves on the other.

Sasuke wandered through the selection of scrolls, bypassing the first bookshelf full of clan jutsu scrolls, moving on to the other five in this room. This was the only portion of his clan's library he was permitted to access at this point, and while he was somewhat understanding of the sentiment, it was more than a little frustrating to know that the bulk of his clan's accumulated jutsu were locked beyond yet another door, awaiting his promotion.

So much seemed to be held from him by that simple change of title...

But that was irrelevant at the moment, and Sasuke grabbed scrolls seemingly at random, verifying their details and either returning it to it's place, or tucking it into his pouch.

Naruto flopped into one of the chairs sitting at the table, willing to accept Sasuke's order in this circumstance, and wondering why they'd been dragged here in the first place. Kirlia hopped into one of the other seats surrounding the small square table and leaning across towards him on her little elbows, smiling coyly since she had some idea already.

Sakura, on the other hand, was a bit less precise in her adherence, peering curiously at the bookshelves she could see, attempting to read the titles on the scrolls. One hand remained firmly attached to the table though, so she didn't feel too bad.

Sasuke returned in a few minutes, approaching the table looking quite full of himself.

"You gonna just stand there grinnin' like a Totodile, or you gonna tell us what's goin' on?" Naruto asked bluntly.

The Uchiha's smirk faltered, but returned quickly, this time more challenging than friendly, as one by one, he flipped five scrolls out of his pouch, catching them out of the air with his free hand and slapping them down on the table where they stood like pillars.

"I owe you a jutsu," Sasuke said seriously, gesturing to the five scrolls. "These are what I offer in exchange. One jutsu, then we're even, deal?"

The spark that lit in Naruto's eyes told him all he needed to know.

"Hiuchigane Himei" Sasuke said, gaze locked with Naruto, hand hovering over the last scroll he'd set, which was trimmed in gray. "C-rank combat ninjutsu, Steel type. The jutsu is channeled into metal, be it weapons, armor, even cooking implements. Whatever you use gains a Steel-type nature, but more dangerous, any sound made by the item is amplified in relation to the strength of the jutsu. It's supposed to be tough to control, but we've all seen what sonic jutsu can do, and with your chakra and clones..."

"Yeah, that Dosu jerk was pretty strong, and that thing he did to smash my clones was pretty darn nasty... Maybe I can figure out how that worked and stop it!" Naruto agreed, sounding a bit more excited as he thought about it more.

"Or," Sasuke continued, sliding the scroll out of reach and tapping the scroll on the opposite end with his other.

"Setsuju Heikairo," He said, this scroll trimmed in yellow. "Also a C-rank offensive jutsu, Electric type. From the Land of Lightning, this jutsu is designed to be used by a team of ninja, for training and combat, allowing the attack to be generated by one, and 'thrown' to another... but if something is in between..."

"Mankey in the middle?" Sakura suggested, referencing the children's game.

"With lightning," Sasuke agreed. "Unless they can manage to catch it... which the scroll says is a risk."

Apparently that was how the jutsu was obtained in the first place, some fool tried using it on an Uchiha after trading the attack back in forth a few times in an attempt to confuse their target... A tactic which did little more than give the Uchiha time to figure out their jutsu.

"Cool!" Naruto crowed, practically drooling as he grabbed for this scroll too

"But then again..." Sasuke moved on, repeating his earlier teasing act of pulling the item away and moving onto the next scroll, trimmed in black this time.

"Munashii Shinri. Support jutsu, same rank, Dark element... and one I plan to learn myself before too long. It shields the user's mind with Dark chakra, rendering them completely immune to Psychic type genjutsu for as long as it lasts..."

"What about the other kinds? Ghost for example?" Sakura asked.

"Won't help at all," Sasuke replied. "It also won't protect against non genjutsu applications of the Psychic element, like Kirlia's Confusion or Psyshock. I don't think it's been tested, but it might protect against Yamanaka techniques though."

"Kirlia-chan? What do you think?" Naruto asked, noticing the unease she was feeling.

"_Dark minds are... unpleasant, empty... but full of teeth and claws..."_ She replied hesitantly, sliding back to sit in the chair properly and put space between herself and the jutsu scroll, not even curious about what the effect the technique might have on their connection. _"I... don't like them." _

Naruto was already looking at what he figured would be next of the remaining two scrolls, having dismissed the Dark element scroll in deference to Kirlia's unease.

"Fair enough," Sasuke said, more interested in the advantages the jutsu might give him against the genjutsu techniques Itachi was known for.

Rather than push forward the one Naruto was watching, Sasuke moved the center scroll forward next, purple trimmed and probably one Kirlia wouldn't like either.

"Tokekomu Kageboushi" He said, smirking a bit at the dirty look Naruto gave him for ignoring the one he wanted to know about. "Ghost type infiltration jutsu. Allows the user to merge with their own shadow to avoid detection. Unfortunately, the shadow is immobile and visible, so it's got a few drawbacks, but it's supposed to be part of an entire style."

"Wish I had that trick when I could still pull pranks," Naruto muttered, glowering at that scroll. "But it could still be pretty useful for sneak attacks and stuff..."

"_It feels familiar,"_ Kirlia mused, wondering at the tickle in the back of her mind that made her feel she should recognize the concept.

"Would it work against the Nara techniques?" Sakura asked, earning a shrug from Sasuke.

"As far as I know, that wasn't tested either," he explained. "Uchiha usually sparred against Uchiha, and no one's ever managed to copy the Nara techniques... But it could work, if only to keep him from being able to attack you while trapped."

Naruto nodded seriously, knowing that if he did end up fighting Shikamaru, and the surprisingly smart Nara actually tried, he might need all the help he could get.

"For the last-"

"Psychic type!" Naruto interrupted eagerly, hoping the jutsu would be as awesome as his partner.

"Musei Sakebi," Sasuke continued, not acknowledging Naruto's comment. "A support-slash-combat jutsu, essentially launching a wave of invisible psychic energy at the target. Supposedly, the damage it deals is entirely mental, and can cause anything from temporary disorientation to outright unconsciousness in the target... However, the attack cannot kill outright."

"You're seriously suggesting a genjutsu for me?" Naruto asked, a bit incredulous, though still somewhat interested. "Don't ya got something like Kirlia-chan's Confusion? That'd be all kinds of cool!"

"One, but it's not much different than what your Gale Palm can already do: grab something and shove it away," Sasuke replied with a shrug. "Something like Confusion would be more Sakura's territory anyway. Your control is getting better, but she's still a long jump above either of us in precision..."

"Come on, just lemme have it! I'll even trade ya the Shadow Clone jutsu if ya want!" Naruto pleaded.

"No," Sasuke replied. "Kakashi said you need more variety, and that's what you're getting offered. Besides, it's not a genjutsu... Not really, anyway. Charge chakra, form element, hit someone with it. Right up your alley, Dobe."

Naruto crossed his arms and glared at the Uchiha, uselessly, but Sasuke smirked and crossed his own in turn.

"If you don't like it, pick one of the others," He said. "You still have three more you liked, and we can talk trade some other time... like after you have another jutsu worth sharing, or after we all become chunin and I can raid the B-rank jutsu for better stuff."

"Don't be too hasty either," Sakura advised with a supportive smile. "You never know when a jutsu like that could come in handy... so take your time and think about it. In fact, we'll leave you alone while you do."

So saying, she grabbed Sasuke and dragged the boy away, leaving Naruto and Kirlia alone, save for Eevee, who had curled up in the corner near the door where she watched lazily.

Naruto left his sulk and leaned over the table, pulling the four scrolls he was considering into position and scooting his seat over so he and Kirlia could collaborate more easily.

"Why are you doing it like this?" Sakura asked quietly, as she watched her blond teammate work.

"Because I don't want to be here all day," Sasuke grumbled in reply. "Can you imagine what he'd have done if I just opened the door and said 'Pick one'?"

"He'd probably have used clones to go over every scroll here," Sakura replied thoughtfully.

"And they'd have gotten into a big argument over which one had found the best jutsu, and we'd be here until they got hungry or Nanao threw him out" Sasuke added. "This way, we can get it done and get to training, hopefully before noon."

"Ah... and that's why I'm here?" Sakura muttered sadly.

"You'd rather be in the hospital still?" Sasuke countered.

"No! Not at all, honest!" Sakura replied forcefully. "I just... well, a girl can hope, right?"

"A girl? Or a kunoichi?" Sasuke challenged pointedly.

"Can't it be both?" She replied with a toothy smile.

Sasuke grunted a half laugh and walked away, back towards the table.

"One, and you owe me," he said sternly. "Pick something useful, and make it quick."

"Thanks! You're the best Sasuke-ku~n!" Sakura replied cheekily, darting off into the shelves herself.

"Meleon, Chaar."

"I am not getting soft," Sasuke growled at the pokemon, who hissed a cloudy chuckle at the denial.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up Lizard. We want her strong enough that the next exam is a cakewalk, remember?" Sasuke muttered in annoyance.

Sasuke dropped into a chair opposite Naruto and Kirlia, idly amused that the two had felt the need to move their chairs at all, knowing that they could probably communicate as easily from across the village as across a table at this point.

Just another thing he filed under the 'Reasons the Dobe is still a dobe' list in his mind.

The Steel scroll had been pushed away to join the Dark scroll, but that wasn't too surprising.

Naruto had never really been much of a weapon user, aside from the occasional kunai or shuriken, and lately, he was trying to move away from even those, thanks to his familial jutsu... if he ever managed to perfect it.

"You sure I can only have one?" Naruto asked, looking at Sasuke over the scrolls.

"Yes." Sasuke replied bluntly, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up onto the table.

"You suck," Naruto retorted just as bluntly.

Sasuke shrugged his dismissal of the accusation. "You've only got a month before the finals. The last thing you need is too many things to do. One perfected jutsu is better than a dozen half-known techniques, remember?"

"Yeah, I know," Naruto grumbled in annoyance. "But I really like all of these!"

"Then stop being a dobe and pick one already," Sasuke muttered, crossing his arms and leaning back further.

"Fine..." Naruto replied, reluctantly moving the Ghost scroll away and returning his focus to the two more combat oriented jutsu, which would probably be most useful in the immediate future.

The Electric jutsu sounded powerful, and fit with his shadow clones perfectly, but could be risky if the clones happened to get dispelled too soon, which both Shino and Zabuza had managed rather easily.

The Psychic, while less overtly awesome, was sneaky and sounded powerful in it's own way... and he had to admit that he found it's non-lethal nature appealing.

He knew and accepted that killing was an essential aspect of being a ninja, but knowing what even a single death could do to a person, a family, a town... He was perfectly happy leaving the option where it was in his mind: An absolute last resort.

What kind of Hokage would he be afterall, if he was the kind of person who had ended more lives than he'd protected?

Would he be any better than Gato or Gaara? Or even Kyuubi?

Not one of them saw their victims as anything more than a means to an end, and not one of them seemed to have a noble goal either.

He'd be damned for the biju they called him before he ever walked that road.

Naruto grabbed the pink trimmed scroll and held it towards Sasuke.

"I choose this one," He stated firmly.

Sasuke, unaware of Naruto's inner contemplation, simply arched an eyebrow as he settled the chair back onto it's four legs properly.

"Alright then," he said. "Nanao-san will make you a copy, and it's yours... After that, my debt is done."

"Right. Thanks, Teme," Naruto agreed, passing the scroll over when the woman asked for it.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted dismissively, rising to his feet and shoving his hands in his pockets. "Slowpoke's done, we're leaving," he called loudly.

Sakura appeared almost immediately, hurrying over with a blue lined scroll in one hand, though it was fairly obvious from her posture that the girl was somewhat reluctant to leave the collection of scrolls so soon.

Sasuke took the item and gave it an appraising look.

"Good choice," he admitted after a moment, flipping the scroll containing the Kandan Honryuu jutsu instructions to Nanao and gesturing for the others to precede him out the door.

The Library's keeper followed him out, locking the door behind her in the same manner she had opened it, before slipping off into the shadowy aisles, followed by her spectral partner, which was in turn followed by Team Seven.

* * *

Sasuke's concern about the time spent in the hidden library proved needless, as the group managed to be in their assigned training field and well into working on their new jutsu well before the clock even hit ten in the morning.

At least for the three humans.

Kirlia had suggested that she, Charmeleon, and Eevee go off to seek out battles against the pokemon in the forest surrounding Konoha, claiming that it would be more effective for them, a suggestion which gained instant approval from the two pokemon, hesitant agreement from Naruto and Sakura, and a predictably noncommittal grunt from Sasuke.

Lacking the experience and protection of Absol, Kirlia consulted with one of the ninja posted at the entrance to the training grounds, who's pokemon suggested, and supplied a mental image of, an area not far from the village, which would be rife with pokemon looking to prove themselves at this time of year.

It was easy enough for Sakura and Sasuke to guess the general direction towards their pokemon from the many times Naruto turned to look towards his distant partner, the connection faint from distance, but still enough to know that she was fighting hard.

Knowledge gained through the flow of pride and pain that came with such effort.

Naruto blew out a breath full of worry and frustration and turned back to the scroll in his lap, grumbling almost silently to himself as he reread it yet another time.

The Musei Sakebi was deceptively simple; Four seals, two of which were Rat. Gather Chakra, convert it to psychic energy, and throw it at a live target.

Unfortunately, that simplicity was currently kicking his butt.

There was no physical manifestation, like most jutsu had, making it difficult for him to tell if he was doing it right, or if he was just flinging chunks of chakra at the clone he'd formed to help practice, which in turn was practicing on him.

Hell, he wasn't even really sure the chakra was converting right!

"_One, two, three, four... Focus and... Release!"_ Naruto thought, walking through the jutsu step by step and sending another invisible wave of chakra at his copy.

If the construct noticed the attack, he sure didn't reveal it, as it too ran through the process of seal, mold, and release.

Naruto muttered under his breath and got back to work, determined to succeed, no matter how long it took.

* * *

Unlike Naruto, Sakura was already showing progress with her chosen jutsu, but then she had two advantages over her teammate.

First, she already had a considerable amount of experience with the water element, and given the dual nature of her Doryuheki, she had the freedom to choose a bit less pragmatically.

And second, she could actually see the results of her own jutsu in the thin cloud of steam rising from the canteen of water she had targeted with the technique.

The Kandan Honryuu, a water technique from Kirigakure, allowed the user to alter the temperature of the water effected, or expelled, potentially boiling hot, potentially freezing cold, versatile and dangerous.

And hopefully, a way to ease herself into the Ice and Fire elements in the future...

What better way to prove herself the absolute best kunoichi in her age group than to master as many different skills and techniques as she could?

And there couldn't possibly be a way to catch the eye of a certain Uchiha than to be the best of the best...

This is a belief she reminded herself of often as she trained over the following week, as she learned that even a jutsu that produced clean water held a degree of unpleasantness.

But it had taught her one thing: The pain of a scalded tongue paled in comparison to the fluttery feeling she felt when Sasuke offered to treat her to ice cream when he realized what she'd done to herself.

Even if Naruto being invited along ruined any potential date atmosphere, and if Sasuke was quiet and broody and barely touched his own, and even if Sasuke did disappear as soon as they left, at least he took his treat along with him.

She figured it was because of his dislike for sweet food, but really appreciated his offer as a result.

And that was true, but only to a degree.

More, the reason for his disappearance was the same as his reason for offering in the first place... and the reason for his silence and gloom.

This was the second time he'd done such a thing, though the first time he'd been the one with the blister.

To him, it was only right to include the person who had treated him when he hurt himself practicing the Gokakyu so long ago.

Now, like then, he'd ordered, and ate, the flavor only because it was her favorite...

And as he sat beside the lonely gravestone, eating food he could barely stand, he thought his mother would approve of him sharing this with his team.

* * *

"_This stupid jutsu!"_ Naruto swore silently, flipping through the seals for what must be at least the hundredth time since they'd started training in their new techniques.

"_One, two, three, four... Focus... Release!"_

Nothing. Again. Not even a twitch as the clone flowed through it's own seals.

"_Why can't I-Release!-get this!?" _Naruto railed within his own mind.

* * *

Sasuke sat on top of one of the training posts, the same one Kakashi often sat upon to be precise.

Across his knees was unrolled a scroll of his own, Katon: Ryuka, the Dragon Flame jutsu, the technique he'd passed over in favor of his private training with the Gale Palm combo.

Part of him loathed the idea of practicing one of the Uchiha's prized Fire jutsu outside of the secured dojo he'd used for so long, but what he really wanted to learn now would require Kakashi's assistance, and the jounin probably wouldn't bother looking for him if the rest of the team was here.

Besides, neither Sakura nor Naruto were likely to try copying the jutsu, even if they had the ability to try.

Unlike Naruto, who was trying to learn an entirely new element, or Sakura who was twisting one she already knew in yet more directions, Sasuke's current practice was about finesse and skill.

Producing the Ryuka was no more difficult than the multiple bursts of the Hosenka, but like the latter, it tested the Uchiha on a very important quality.

Katon: Gokakyu tested the young Uchiha's ability to claim their inborn power, manifesting it physically and proving their strength.

Katon: Hosenka then forced them to demonstrate their control over the element most difficult to restrain among the core five, binding the single large blast into a wave of smaller bursts of equal intensity.

Katon: Ryuka went even further, requiring the Uchiha to actually guide and dominate the attack, to feed and direct the chakra through the fury form until it responded perfectly.

Control, allowing the fire to burn what it must, instead of whatever it could reach.

It tested the Uchiha's restraint as much as it tested his strength, and Sasuke intended to master the jutsu, preferably without resorting to the crutch of chakra conductive wire that the scroll suggested for novices.

It at least gave him something useful to work on as he waited for his sensei.

Bringing one hand up in the half-rat seal he still used to focus chakra, Sasuke ran through the one handed seals he'd memorized, breathing out a serpent of flames, little more than a foot long.

And then he set it dancing through the air.

Away and back, around him, above and below, it slithered through the air with infinite grace and the crackle of hungry flame.

The first didn't even make it past his hand's reach before flickering out of existence, and the next fared little better, but he kept at the practice, relying on confidence and sheer stubborn tenacity to serve where others had apparently given up.

He was still working on it when Kakashi showed up, a little after noon, the jounin appearing with Absol at his side, and silencing any accusations of tardiness by the simple expedient of tossing a to-go lunch at each genin, earning the temporary adulation of his students.

Sasuke caught the food easily, but grunted in annoyance when the distraction cost him his hold on the jutsu, but he set the food aside for the moment, and resumed his practice.

Kakashi then predictably stopped to chat privately with the Narutos, looking over one's shoulder at the jutsu scroll.

Naruto, probably the real one, since it had the food, was his predictably loud self, and apparently the jutsu was giving him trouble, judging by the energetic poking he gave the scroll, coupled with his energetic hand waving.

At one moment, Kakashi stopped him, and Naruto gestured in the direction the boy had been glancing frequently through the day, probably answering a query about their pokemon.

The jounin flashed a handsign at Absol, and the pokemon took off through the trees in the direction Naruto had intimated, heading away lightning quick to oversee the young pokemon as he had in the past.

In the end, Sasuke watched, resisting the instinct to flash his sharingan, as Naruto used the jutsu on Kakashi himself, at the jounin's apparent suggestion.

If it worked, neither boy could tell, but the lanky jounin mussed Naruto's hair as he rose and said something that was probably supposed to be supportive.

The blond simply scowled at the man's back and went back to his lunch, the clone eyeballing the food enviously as it continued to practice.

Next was Sakura, who hurriedly set her food aside and perked up, smiling brightly at the man, looking almost as excited as Naruto while she extolled the virtues of her new jutsu.

Kakashi let her talk, leaning back on his heels as he crouched next to her, appearing quite happy for the eager animation he could see in the girl, especially after her loss in the preliminary rounds.

When she finally wound down, Kakashi dropped a hand to her shoulder and spoke, his posture and expression serious, and whatever he said, the girl seemed to light up with pride and determination.

As Kakashi left her behind, Sakura returned to her food, attacking it with an unusual intensity, eager to return to her training.

Watching the jounin approach him at last, Sasuke sent the Flame Dragon arcing towards his face, pulling it back at the last moment and sending it spiraling into the air over Kakashi's right shoulder, where it dissipated with a slight hiss.

Ruining Sasuke's plan to impress the man by having it circle and come back from Kakashi's blind side.

"Looks like your training is going well," Kakashi said blithely, coming to a stop and slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Could be better," Sasuke replied simply, closing the scroll with a snap and dropping it in his pouch as he slipped off the post to stand before his sensei expectantly.

Kakashi's visible eyebrow lifted as he watched the boy. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No," Sasuke replied. "But I made a promise, and now I'm keeping it."

"I was under the impression that you already paid Naruto back for the jutsu you copied," the jounin replied, voice carelessly light, though his gaze was sharp.

"I want to learn to invert electricity," Sasuke stated bluntly. "If it does what I think it will, then it's too valuable to not learn."

"Hmm... It could be at that," Kakashi mused thoughtfully. "But what exactly do you think it will do?"

"Paralyze muscle and shut down nerves," Sasuke answered.

"Duplicating the effect of the Eight Trigrams technique Neji used against you?" Kakashi clarified, and receiving a grimace and nod from the boy.

"Clever... but dangerous," Kakashi replied after a moment of thought. "Very dangerous, and restricted, an A-ranked forbidden technique that doesn't officially exist..."

"It doesn't exist?" the boy asked in surprise.

"Officially," Kakashi reminded.

"Anbu?" Sasuke asked rhetorically, sighing in disappointment as he realized that Kakashi would never agree to teach him the technique now.

Kakashi nodded once, not feeling the need to elaborate on one of the many nearly untraceable assassination techniques that had been devised over the many years ninja had been eliminating targets that couldn't be officially touched.

One jutsu, one stopped heart, and the problem ceased to be.

"Thinking on it though..." Kakashi mused, bringing one hand to his chin and looking into the air blankly as he searched his memory. "What you're considering is a lot like another A-rank technique I've heard of."

"It's not a jutsu I know, but it shouldn't be too hard to figure it out," the jounin suggested.

"What does it do?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"Raiton: Ranshinsho, a technique invented by Tsunade of the Sannin to disable opponents completely by rearranging their nervous system," Kakashi explained. "It would be rather difficult to duplicate without her medical knowledge or chakra control... but then you're not really aiming to rearrange, are you?"

"No..." Sasuke replied fiercely.

"And it's so much easier to break something that it is to fix it afterward," Kakashi agreed.

"So you can help me?" Sasuke asked, eager to turn the tool of his defeat into a weapon in his own arsenal.

"Probably," Kakashi confirmed. "I'll have to see what Hokage-sama knows about Tsunade's technique, which should help build a new one from the ground up."

"How long will that take?" the Uchiha pressed.

"That depends solely on you," his sensei replied with a hidden smile. "Work hard, and it shouldn't take too long... in theory anyway."

Before Sasuke could expound on his determination, Kakashi was gone, leaves falling to the ground where he once stood.

The boy grinned internally as he resumed his seat, and his efforts.

Kakashi returned a couple hours later with a scroll written in the Hokage's own hand, all the information he could recall from Tsunade's work creating the jutsu.

He was confident that soon, very soon, he would have yet another tool in his arsenal to throw at his betraying brother.

Unfortunately, 'very soon' seemed to be an overly optimistic expectation, but at least he was making progress, both in his efforts to master the Katon: Ryuka, and the work on creating what he had dubbed the Shinkei Enkiri.

* * *

"This thing is impossible!" Naruto shouted, hopping to his feet and waving the scroll around like a flag, drawing the attention of Kakashi and his teammates all.

Nearby, the clone just rolled it's eyes and continued it's training, the motions so ingrained by now that it barely had to consider them.

"This stupid-like he's the only one who's tired of doing this crap-jutsu is driving me up the wall!" Naruto complained loudly. "How am I supposed to even know if it's working?"

The clone blinked slowly, before a evil grim bloomed on his face.

"How do you know it isn't?" Kakashi asked, not having missed the expression on the second Naruto's face as it ran through the seals and waited for the original to speak.

"Because-I'm a pretty pretty princess and Sasuke is my prince-it's just not!" Naruto replied obliviously.

"...What." the Uchiha growled, not even slightly amused.

"Sorry Teme," Naruto added quickly. "It's a cool jutsu an' all I'm just-dumber than a sack of hammers and-really tired of tryin' to make this dumb thing work..."

"Well, did you really expect to get it in just one day?" Sakura asked, her lips twitching strangely.

"No..." Naruto admitted reluctantly. _"-a total moron who... oops-"_

The blond boy spun with a snap to glare at the clone, who smiled sheepishly and vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"What did you expect to happen?" Kakashi asked innocently. "You were attacking yourself with your own psychic energy... It's almost the same thing that happens every time a clone dispels."

Naruto slapped a hand to his forehead and dropped to his butt on the ground, glaring through his fingers at Sasuke, who he felt was the most appropriate target for his ire.

His rival certainly didn't seem to mind, smirking widely, and only limited to that because of his disinclination towards outright laughter.

"How the heck am I supposed to practice if I can't use it on my clones?" Naruto grumbled in annoyance.

"I'll lend you one of mine for a while," Kakashi offered generously, forming one and sending it off to lean against a tree near Naruto, where it whipped out his ever present book. "And I'm sure Kirlia will help out too."

"Thanks," Naruto mumbled, rotating in his seat to face his newest target of opportunity, which thankfully allowed him to orient away from his team and try and put the clone's trick out of mind.

Unfortunately, a whole new level of embarrassment fell right onto him, as Kakashi's clone began to read the book aloud, to give the boy some way to know when the jutsu effected him.

Kakashi was only the second person to have ever properly read to the boy, excluding his teachers, and the subject matter left him wishing that Jiji was still the only one to hold that particular honor, though it did wonders for his focus, as he actively worked to ignore the words while still listening for Kakashi's voice.

The first time his jutsu made the man stutter, Naruto felt like cheering.

* * *

Almost eight hours after they left, Kirlia returned, bringing with her the rest of the team's pokemon, with the exception of Haunter.

Naruto asked about the ghostly pokemon's absence, but Kakashi just shrugged in answer, explaining that the pokemon did what it wanted, when it wanted, and often disappeared for weeks on end, usually returning for little reason he could discern.

Not long after the union of pokemon and person, Kakashi called an end to the day's training.

Sakura had been sitting around idle for nearly an hour, having exhausted all the chakra she felt comfortable using, though she spent a fair portion of that hour discussing strategy with her sensei.

They walked down the half hidden path back towards the village, Naruto in the lead with Kirlia cheerful, if somewhat exhausted and battered, perched on one shoulder.

Sasuke and Sakura trailed behind, Charmeleon at their heels, bold and bright under the scuffs and scrapes, the glow of hard won experience obvious to even the humans.

As they exited the guarded gate, staffed by nearly triple the normal number of masked men, a call rang out.

"Naruto! I looked everywhere for you!"

The boy's redheaded cousin rushed over, stuttering to a stop quickly when the sentries closest to the gate, and therefore the exiting team, stepped forward with their hands on their weaponry.

"Karin-chan? Great to see ya!" Naruto called, slipping between the men and sweeping the girl into a hug, ignoring the overeager Anbu, tasked with escorting the visiting finalists around the grounds and ensuring their privacy from locals and foreigners alike.

"We can handle it from here," Kakashi suggested, nodding the sentries back to their posts as he walked past, sweeping Team Seven into his wake as he acknowledged the bespectacled girl with a smile.

"Yeah, come on, I'll buy ya dinner! Yer hungry right?" Naruto offered, leaving his arm around the girl's shoulder as he steered her away, sending a not-so polite gesture towards the two who threatened his relative.

"_The team can come too, right?"_ Kirlia suggested, smiling comfortingly at the troubled girl from her perch, one hand in Naruto's hair to help her balance.

"Of course they can," Naruto agreed cheerfully. "Audino too, 'kay Karin? Ichiraku's is great food, and they love pokemon there."

"Not as much as they love Naruto," Sakura added teasingly, tickling behind Eevee's ears as the pokemon lay curled in her arms. "I think he's trying to buy them a new shop, one bowl at a time."

"More like a dozen at a time with the way he eats," Sasuke corrected.

"Keep on talkin'," Naruto grumbled. "You guys want free food or not?"

"I say... not," Kakashi put in. "Places to kill, people to be, you know how it is. Ja ne."

Yet again, the mercurial man took his leave, though this time he simply walked away with his nose in his book and Absol at his side, rather than vanishing via shunshin.

"How about you guys?" Naruto asked, dropping his arm from Karin's shoulder and turning to walk backwards and look at his teammates.

"Pass," Sasuke said simply. "Like Kakashi said: things to do."

Like gaining a working understanding of the nervous system, so he could put the new technique to it's use properly once it was finished... which meant tracking down a medical text with the information.

"I... think I'll pass too," Sakura replied after a moment of thought, and more importantly, a look at the redheaded girl. "You two have fun, we'll catch up tomorrow."

"Really? Alright I guess," Naruto said with a halfhearted shrug of his own. "If you guys ain't interested in free food, I ain't gonna press it... Come on Karin-chan, I'll introduce you to Teuchi-jisan and Ayame-neechan."

At Kirlia's direction, Naruto grabbed the girl's hand, and the trio vanished in a timely teleport.

"You're not going to ask me out again, are you?" Sasuke asked drily when the light faded away.

"Would that be so bad?" Sakura asked, rushing close and ducking her chin into Eevee's fur, batting her lashes at the boy in a caricature of her behavior in the academy, laughing at the scowl that formed on his face.

"I just don't want to be a third wheel is all..." Sakura answered seriously, ending the act, and stepping away to give Sasuke the space he preferred. "I'm pretty sure she just wants to talk to Naruto anyway."

Sasuke sent the girl a speculative look, but quickly decided that he really didn't care how she knew that, simply grunting an empty response as he walked.

Sakura just sent a private smile at his back as she followed behind, sending a more obvious grin and wink towards Charmeleon, who hissed in amusement.

* * *

The cousins appeared, barely preceded by the light which had become something of an expected sight at Ichiraku's by now.

"Naruto! Long time no see!" A call came from the kitchen as the two entered, the boy courteously holding open the curtain for Karin and Kirlia, who had reluctantly surrendered her perch in deference to the entrance's low roof.

"Ayame-neechan, I was here yesterday," Naruto called back loudly, hopping up onto his favorite seat, with Kirlia forgoing her own normal spot for the next one over, leaving Karin the seat sandwiched between them.

"After disappearing for almost a week," the young woman chided, coming out of the back room and shaking her ladle right in front of the boy's nose. "I'm allowed to worry after something like that... especially when you show up with a girl right out of the blue..."

"H-hello?" Karin stuttered, a little unnerved by the wide eyed look the waitress was giving her.

Naruto quickly made introductions, with Ayame praising the girl's miraculous appearance, while half strangling her in an enthusiastically thankful hug.

Karin was pushed even further from the comfort of normality when the young woman declared herself to be Karin's new neechan, disappearing into the back room before the redhead could recover enough to protest.

She did take some comfort in the fact that she wasn't the only one taken by surprise, as a loud exclamation from the kitchen revealed, that Teuchi wasn't expecting such a thing either.

"She always said she wanted a little sister," Naruto chuckled fondly.

"She didn't take our orders," Karin said after a few seconds, deciding to ignore the strangeness of her cousin's pseudo family.

"Yeah... she doesn't ask me for mine anymore, unless I say it fast," Naruto agreed, a bit chagrined.

"_It's all delicious though,"_ Kirlia added, snapping apart a pair of chopsticks and maneuvering them to lay between her fingers in an approximation of the proper manner.

She was determined to learn to use the things, despite the handicap of only having three fingers...

At least she had Confusion to help make up for it, and to catch anything that might slip.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Karin said suddenly, after nearly a minute of idle chatter from Naruto as he tried to talk Kirlia through her attempts.

The pair sitting with her stiffened briefly and Karin turned her eyes into her lap regretting put the announcement so bluntly... but she wasn't sure how she could have done it otherwise without possibly making it worse.

Kirlia gazed at the girl sympathetically, now knowing the source of the girl's unsettled emotions.

"So soon?" Naruto asked, blowing out a heavy sigh along with his surprise. "I mean, we just met..."

"I know, and I wish I could stay," Karin replied quickly, locking eyes with her cousin and willing him to understand the truth of that statement. "But my jounin-sensei made the decision, and he insists... I think he just... doesn't want to be here anymore, since his real students..."

"Got killed by Gaara," Naruto finished for her.

Karin nodded sadly.

In truth, she had literally needed to beg him to give her this one day to say her goodbyes.

Even then, he made it quite clear that he was only allowing her to do so as a favor to her teacher, rather than out of the kindness of his own heart.

What she didn't know, was that the jounin had orders to get her away from Konoha before the finals, and if Orochimaru returned before they were gone, she wouldn't be the one answering for the act of disobedience.

The Serpent Sannin had plans for her afterall, and her willing cooperation was not something he would risk disrupting over a little matter like his plans to destroy her relative's home.

Of course, he would happily be there to lend a shoulder to cry on when she inevitably found out about the blond brats demise.

"Well... if that's the way it is, then that's the way it is," Naruto decided at length. "We just gotta make today so special that you'll never forget it! We'll give you the Uzumaki special tour of Konoha, right Kirlia-chan?"

"_Dattebayo!" _Kirlia cheered.

"Damn right, Dattebayo!" Naruto agreed. "The best sights! The best people! The-"

"Best food!" Ayame declared, sweeping back in with knowing smile and a tray full of treats, far more than Karin expected the three of them could eat. "If you're gonna start, ya gotta start right!"

"Damn right, Ayame-neechan!" Naruto agreed heartily.

Karin quickly understood why there was so much when she was rather forcefully reminded that her pokemon wasn't present, the runes along her forearm making it obvious to anyone in Konoha that she was partnered.

Ayame herself had instated an open invitation to pokemon within the establishment, one of the changes she had convinced her father into accepting since he'd instated the new menu... and one of the more successful financially.

Within seconds, Audino was present and ready for anything... except an invitation to dinner, though she accepted it eagerly, after a bit of encouragement from those already present.

Refreshed by the meal, sated and surprised, not just by the amount of food Naruto managed to put away, but also at the friendliness of the old man Naruto called Teuchi-jisan, who'd come out after a bit, to get to know the person his daughter had adopted into the family.

He seemed somewhat apprehensive at first, but warmed up quickly enough, and Karin began to see why Naruto liked these two so much.

Duty called though, so she didn't have much time with the chef, but she enjoyed what was offered.

After the meal, the tour began, an almost literal whirlwind of places, some lovely, some imposing, some just places that held some special sentiment for the boy.

Unlike his tour with Ralts so many months before, they focused on the positive, introducing the girl to every one of the friends he could find, dropping by the Hughes family, the Suzuhara shop, and stopping by the places he loved most.

He ended up leading the Anbu assigned to watch over him on a merry chase, unintentional though it was, and even they would have had trouble directing someone through their route.

Being teleported so often, and not knowing the village landmarks well, Karin had been lost from the start, but it was hard not to find the trip exhilarating anyway.

They'd even barged in on the Hokage himself at one point, a fact that Naruto barely acknowledged as he 'introduced' her to the old man.

The Hokage's exasperated look as he set aside his paperwork aside for a moment... But it seemed that the aged leader simply wanted to forward a message of congratulations from his grandson.

As well as a request from the academy student that they try to get together for some training, if Naruto had time.

And then Naruto, her cousin, who was supposed to be spending the next month training for his own advancement, promised to track down the kid and his friends when he had a chance.

The two Konoha natives seemed so... at ease with each other, that it was a bit disconcerting.

Not that she could ever forget who this old man was, or how strong he must be... But sometimes he seemed so... normal. Not like Orochimaru-sama, who was always so proud and striking.

Luckily for her, the two got into something of a discussion about exactly what Naruto was allowed to teach them, which eventually settled on an agreement that he could demonstrate the Reppusho, and teach the one handed seals, if the kids were interested in learning.

So long as he promised to to teach them something he referred to as 'That Jutsu'. Ever.

After the reluctant bargain, they were off again.

They finished the day in Naruto's favorite place, even above Ichiraku's itself: The top of the Hokage Monument.

The chance to sit and simply look out over the village was as welcome as it was peaceful for Karin and Audino, after all the things they'd seen and learned in the few short hours since lunch.

Enjoying the view from the head of one of it's greatest heroes, she couldn't help but realize that it truly was a pleasant place.

She loved her home dearly, and she knew Orochimaru-sama often cursed the restrictions and inflexible village policies that had interfered with his early research... but it still had a lot of good points.

Maybe Orochimaru-sama would deign to return one day, once he'd achieved his goals and become the world renowned genius she knew he would become? She could easily imagine the welcome he would receive then, with all the advancements and accolades he would claim along the way...

She could easily imagine him in the hat and robes, his countenance added to the mountain as the most proper apology they could offer.

The Fuuma clan would accept him wholeheartedly then, after she told them of the wonderful place they would be welcomed into, assuming they were willing to leave the Land of Rice Paddies.

"It's kinda pretty from up here, isn't it?" Naruto asked, sitting innocently, Kirlia in his lap, leaning against his chest as she basked in the low riding sun, and the pleasant emotions she could feel flowing from him, Karin, and Audino.

"It really is..." Karin agreed, smiling fondly at the vista before her eyes, and the future she could see in her imagination. "I can't wait to tell the others about all this..."

* * *

"This day has officially sucked," Sakura complained, sinking heavily into a seat and dropping her head to the table, barely caring if it fell into the tray of food she had set down a moment before.

Kicking the chair beside her out with one foot, Sasuke took his own place, barely considering the meal as he set into it.

Notable in their absence were Eevee and Charmeleon, who had been sent out with Kirlia and Absol for more training, while Naruto worked with Kakashi one on one to prepare for the finals.

Neither genin begrudged their partners an escape from the tedium of their current mission.

It was the first day of their assigned 'beautification' of Konoha, in preparation for the finals, and even Sasuke wondered how much worse it could get over the three weeks to come...

"I thought we were done with these crappy D-ranks!" Sakura grouched, a sentiment which her teammate emphatically agreed with, though as usual, he didn't bother saying much to demonstrate it.

"It's not that bad really," Kabuto argued, taking a seat at the long table, directly across from the pair, not bothering to ask for permission and wearing an expression far too endearing for the girl's current mood. "At least we're still getting paid, right?"

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, rather than snap at the boy who was just trying to be friendly. "I thought you were going to join the medic corp or something?"

"So did I," the silver-haired ninja muttered. "Apparently Danzo-sama thinks I still have something to learn about being properly motivated... I think he's just punishing me for surrendering to an injured kunoichi..."

"You should have won," Sasuke agreed darkly. "Then they'd have no reason to stay, and they'd probably have been sent packing." _"Then captured and interrogated..."_

"They can't be that bad," Kabuto protested, frowning at the utter disdain in the boy's voice.

"You'd really say that after they attacked you?" Sakura scoffed. "Well, you'll learn better. I hear they plan to shuffle the work crews around so we can 'Learn to work with the ninja from other villages in a stress free environment'." The girl sat up and crooked her fingers in the air as she quoted the statement, her scowl demonstrating quite clearly what she thought of that idea.

"Well, here's hoping the rest of these chores go as well as today's," Kabuto remarked, ever optimistic as he raised his glass in a mock toast.

"Who'd you get stuck with?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Tenten and Shugorei," Kabuto answered. "They were pretty nice, if a bit on the quiet side."

"Pretty quiet on our side too," Sakura remarked. "Temari, Ao, Sasuke-kun and myself... I swear, neither one of them said a single thing the whole time, I even started to miss Naruto!"

"That Temari girl was pretty loud at the start though,: Sasuke added with a smirk. It was almost as if the girl had never done a D-rank before in her life... Which might be the case, since her team was made up of the Kazekage's kids.

"Guess that means Shino got stuck with the idiots from Sound, huh?" Sakura reasoned, thinking through the various disqualifications. They were all that remained, excluding the three who had died.

"Affirmative, and a most unpleasant morning it was," Shino agreed, appearing almost invisibly at the girl's side, dropping his own tray of food with an audible thump.

He regarded the two from Team Seven with a raised eyebrow, Sakura for the startled yelp she released, and Sasuke for the kunai he now held, cocked and ready to fly.

"How do you do that?" Kabuto asked, apparently in honest awe at the Aburame's stealth skills.

"It is a... gift," Shino replied glumly, though the inflection was as difficult to detect as ever, deciding to take the question, and his supposed friends' resumed relaxation as tacit permission to take the seat.

"To return to your earlier subject of discussion: Yes, I was indeed working alongside out reluctant guests from Otogakure," Shino continued.

"Are they really that bad," Kabuto asked politely, offering the entirety of his attention.

"...The loud one is one of the least pleasant people I have ever had the misfortune of meeting," Shino confirmed. "And his disposition towards Konoha as a whole is nearly toxic in it's antipathy... Hindering our task notably as a result, possibly an intentional endeavor."

"The other was... less distasteful, though more unnerving despite that," Shino continued. "Zaku was arbitrary in his loathing, but Dosu is more specific, and far more deceptive. We did not speak, but I maintained careful observation, and from his discussions with those passerby who spoke with him, I believe his interest is directed solely at yourself, Uchiha-san."

"Then the feeling is perfectly mutual," Sasuke replied, eyes flashing dangerously. "I kept my word, but we aren't in the forest anymore, and I still have unfinished business with those snakes from Sound."

"Well then," Shino remarked, blinking behind his shades, somewhat surprised that Sasuke seemed eager for the potential confrontation. "So long as you are aware of the situation, and are prepared. I merely felt it prudent to warn you of his interest."

"We appreciate it Shino, really," Sakura replied emphatically, smiling warmly at her old classmate, who's mood seemed to have darkened somehow.

"Forewarned is forearmed," Sasuke agreed, at the encouraging of his teammate's elbow. "But it's not exactly disappointing to hear it."

Sakura wasn't sure how she could tell, but she had a feeling that Shino was happier as he set into his own food.

"_I have been hanging around Kirlia too much,"_

* * *

"You seem happy," Shugorei remarked to his teammate, who sat alone in one corner of the room, scrawling in a notebook, his own lunch all but ignored.

"It has been a rather productive day," Ao replied proudly, not bothering to look away from his efforts.

"Lucky you. Just a bunch of cleaning for me," Shugorei said. "Even the inspections back home were more interesting."

"Mmm. I was similarly occupied," Ao clarified. "But menial tasks can be quite therapeutic in their own way. I had ample time to puzzle through an obstacle that had been confounding me in developing this formula."

"Oh? And what are you working at this time?" Shugorei asked, peering over his teammate's shoulder, and noting the circle within circle design, with thin arcs of fuinjutsu sketched in the space between them.

"An inertial seal, or rather, a variation of one which should be applied and utilized in sympathy with the storage summoning seals I already use," Ao answered quietly.

"There is something very wrong with you," Shu muttered, dismissing the boy's work with a shake of his head as he claimed his seat.

"I am a ninja. There are a great many things wrong with me," Ao countered absently. "It would be more concerning if I were unaware of that fact."

"That's no excuse for stealing, and you know it," Shugorei complained.

"I prefer the term 'Appropriate', it's much more pleasant," Ao countered simply. "But regardless, in truth, I am simply improving and preserving a stupidly suicidal technique, since the fool that devised it is unlikely to live long enough to do so himself."

"By stealing the idea," Shugorei added drily.

"By appropriating the idea," Ao countered and confirmed, a sly smile on his dark face.

* * *

_Date: XXXX-XX-XX_

_Personal Log; Entry 2; Experiment Observation Day 4_

_It has been approximately eighty-seven (87) hours since my return from Training Ground Forty-Four, colloquially known as the Forest of Death, and I have identified two more of the strangely affected kikaichu within my colony._

_These have been introduced into the quarantine enclosure, bringing the total number of mutates discovered to one hundred and sixty-three (163), though current numbers stand at only one hundred eighteen (118), due largely to cannibalistic predation among the specimens, despite the plentiful supply of chakra infused subsistence provided._

_The mutates demonstrate a significantly increased level of aggression, with a percentage of those so afflicted possessing considerably increased mass, a gain of up to forty percent (40%) in some cases, as compared to a standard adult kikaichu from their hive of origin._

_Preliminary hypothesis is that the aforementioned aggression leads to acts of cannibalism, which in turn results in increased body mass, a condition which I suspect may become cyclical in nature as consumption and growth continues._

_The origin of this condition is currently unknown, but given the disposition of the flora and fauna within the Forest of Death, environmental contaminants cannot be summarily excluded as a potential trigger. _

_It is my belief that if the mutates prove breedable, controllable, and maintain comparable capacity to their smaller progenitors, that they may prove useful for the clan as a whole, despite their potential size making them unsuited to internal hive structures._

_Observation of the specimens will continue, as will my search for events of a similar nature within the history of our clan, until such time as a cause is found. _

_In accordance with standard procedure for private experimentation involving kikaichu or potentially advantageous improvements to the clan, an identical secondary log will be maintained and registered within the clan archives, to be amended as the experiment progresses._

_Primary Analyst: Shino Aburame._

_Secondary Analyst: N/A_

* * *

Hiuchigane Himei: Striker Shriek (Striker referencing the steel in Flint and Steel, used to start fires)

Setsuju Heikairo: Intercept Closed Circuit

Munashii Shinri: Vacant/Void/Lifeless State of Mind

Tokekomu Kageboushi: Melt into Silhouette (Shadow Figure)

Musei Sakebi: Silent/Voiceless Scream

Kandan Honryuu: Hot and Cold/(extremes of) Temperature Torrent/Violently rushing stream

Shinkei Enkiri: Nerve/Sensitivity Separation/Severing of connections

Electric Jutsu mis-classified due to not understanding the buildup effect.

* * *

A/N:

And there we are, Chapter 18, not as much achieved as I'd hoped, but i am rather satisfied despite that. Psychic jutsu that aren't gamebreakers are a lot harder to devise than I'd thought they'd be, hehe. (I blame characters like Jean Grey for that, but that's bias)

I bounced a lot of ideas for Psychic jutsu, including stuff like the Force Push/Pull, Proper genjutsu, and a number of others, but I'm kinda happy with the Musei Sakebi, which was inspired by the pokemon move Extrasensory (As described in the Pokedex) and the Pathfinder Psionic ability Telepathic Lash. (Description:Your mind lashes out, overwhelming your target with raging emotions, flooding their mind with memories and impulses they are hard pressed to control, rendering them unable to take any actions.)

It seems like something that would suit a person with Naruto's experiences, particularly since it somewhat syncs with the dispel effect on the Shadowclone. As described in the story, it's essentially a genjutsu hammer, though it's not likely to work too well on those who possess strong wills.

To clarify though, the ability to make the target speak is purely a Naruto to Naruto effect of the jutsu, though it may eventually be able to be used as a one way telepathy, I'm not too sure on that score yet.

Also, just to note, No Sakura isn't becoming Psychic, she just successfully read a mopey Shino.

Hope ya enjoyed,

-Mhyrloc


	19. Like a Toad Chasing Tail

**Notice:One of the story's readers has created a deviantart chatroom designated 'PopRPChat'. I have been popping in periodically, particularly while writing, and while it is currently somewhat lonely, I think it's an interesting idea, even if I do rather suck at Roleplaying. The creator goes by the name Koal103, and he is in need of Admins and such, so please contact him, or pop in if you're the type to be interested in such things.**

I do apologize for the bolded text, but I am aware that many people ignore Author notes, and gave my word that I would make it known.

I would also like to recommend a story I came across: Vulpine, by Saphroneth. It's not a very long one, but complete, pretty crackish, and funny as hell... and does something I could never manage by addressing every bloody arc in the series up to about the 'capture' of the Hachibi. (In less than a hundred thousand words even.)

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

* * *

"Open wide and say 'Ahh'."

"Laaa!"

"Hmm, mhm, uhuh... and that's good," Hana declared, removing the tongue depressor and letting Kirlia close her mouth.

"Picture perfect and minty fresh," the woman commented approvingly. "It's been a long time since I've done a checkup on a pokemon who actually brushes their teeth."

_"Naruto says it's a good habit,"_ Kirlia agreed, sending a smile and a wave of comforting feelings to her partner, currently sulking in a corner, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

Iruka-sensei had been kind enough to schedule their appointment, which the boy had forgotten, and had even arranged for Hana to be available to do the job again, in an attempt to reassure his student.

The teacher had sorely underestimated Naruto's dislike for hospitals though, unaware that most of the boy's visits had been unpleasant affairs of test after test, almost from the moment he entered the door.

Of course, it was his own fault, since no one wanted a repeat demonstration of the Hokage storming through the building, nearly apoplectic in anger... Enraged after visiting the boy at home to check on him after receiving reports of the boy suffering a head injury, only to find him with his face buried in the freezer attempting to alleviate a mysterious migraine.

Learning that the boy had escaped before more than the entry tests had been completed did little to end the Hokage's ire, even if a portion of it turned onto Naruto himself for ignoring such a potentially serious injury, and Naruto was added to the list of ninja who were to be diagnosed ASAP, lest they disappear when no one was looking.

For a career path that dealt with blood and death as a matter of course, it was a surprisingly long list.

But when offered the chance to remain in the waiting room, Naruto declined, insisting on his desire to 'be there' for Kirlia, though he remained in his corner, arms crossed and watchful of every move that Hana made.

It was enough to make both females glad that Hana had invented an errand for him to run too give her the few moments she needed to draw blood.

Kirlia did what she could to push her partner's apprehension from her mind, short of cutting the flow completely, knowing that if he thought it necessary, he might do something unpleasantly reckless to get them away.

So she put on a brave face and suffered through the torment and indignity of a full examination.

Measuring her height... _(Oh no!)_

Her weight... _(The embarrassment!)_

Taking her pulse and blood pressure... _(Please no more!)_

Checking her reflexes with a tiny hammer... _(Agony of agonies!)_

And more than a dozen other tests of dubious discomfort.

Heels to horns, everything was inspected, noted and approved.

It wasn't exactly how she would have preferred to spend a morning, but it was far from the nightmare Naruto seemed to expect... In fact, it wasn't even all that unpleasant, Hana felt like a kind woman, and her desire to provide comfort was obvious.

Thankfully, the woman was also very much a professional, and the entirety of the exam was concluded in just over an hour, despite being as thorough as she could possibly make it.

"I suppose that's it..." The Inuzuka heiress decided, flipping through the sizable stack of paperwork on her clipboard one last time before opening the door and beckoning them out. "Mission schedule permitting, I'll expect you back again between six and twelve months from today, sooner if she evolves again, or develops an issue of some sort."

"So we don't gotta be back for a whole year?" Naruto asked, perking up for the first time since his arrival. "Sounds good to me!"

"Up to a year," Hana corrected sternly. "You've proven your ability to take care of her, and she's certainly healthy and happy, but we have to work together to keep our pokemon that way. Frequent checkups are just one way to do that, and a ninja should always take care of their partner, their comrades, and their equipment."

"...I gotcha," Naruto grumbled, nodding his acceptance of the rebuttal as he trudged through the door, taking Kirlia's hand when she offered it. "We'll be back, but I hope you don't mind if I hope it ain't soon."

"Hmm... I'll hope the same," Hana replied teasingly. "Unless you and Kiba end up tangling in the finals... I don't want to see anyone injured, but I gotta back my boneheaded little brother."

As she spoke, Hana followed them out, her Dustox slipped down from the ceiling, landing perched half on the woman's shoulder, and half on her head, humming a greeting to the others.

Hana reached up and rubbed a hand across the carapace over Dusty's cheek, silently apologizing for leaving her partner outside the room in deference to her patient's comfort, a standard protocol in the veterinary hospital, though exceptions were made for pokemon like Blisseys or Audinos, who possessed immediately applicable medical skills, and an innate tolerance from even the least pleasant of pokemon.

The group passed through a number of hallways on their way to the exit, Hana's mind already turned towards her next appointment.

So it was understandable that she didn't notice when Kirlia jerked to a stop for a brief moment as they entered the waiting room, before sublimating the impulse and continuing on.

"You okay? What's goin' on?" Naruto asked quietly, leaning close and looking in the direction Kirlia was, trying to spot the cause of her spike of fear through the window she looked towards.

"_I'm fine,"_ she replied quickly. _"Its... I didn't realize how long we were here... I was worried that we might miss Kakashi-sensei."_

"Yeah right," Naruto scoffed grouchily. "He probably won't show up for another hour at least!"

"_Maybe... but we should still get going!" _Kirlia declared, taking hold of Naruto's hand with both of hers and dragging him towards the door.

As she did, she glanced one more time at the man near the window, reading some magazine or other... intact, and ignorant of the sight she had seen...

He looked nothing like the flame seared corpse she had seen for that one brief moment.

It was the first of many such visions, her growing strength opening her more and more to the mysteries of time and the future's flow... and she found death waiting around the corner with disturbing frequency.

Even avoiding the village proper didn't help, as she learned a few days after her visit with Hana, having teleported from home, to the training fields, to Iruka's house, and back to their home. Evading everyone except their closest friends...

A day of absence, a day of avoidance, and the vision she looked out over in the dawn light, when she was most receptive to the silent pattern of existence, was a living nightmare.

The village wall torn in three places, homes and businesses crushed into debris, the Hokage tower toppled, and the mountain scarred almost beyond recognition.

Envisioning a ninja's death had been troubling, and not entirely unexpected... but so many?

This must be why... this mirage which sparked a chill in her very soul, and the morning joy fled before it's skittering claws as they chased down her spine.

Her home was in danger... and she had a promise to keep.

Steeling her courage, she looked over the village, committing it all to memory, the damage to the walls and the forest beyond in particular.

But the clue she most desired was not to be found...

There was no evidence as to the aggressor, nor even sign of defense by the village itself, a flaw in her sight, but nonetheless, she made the effort to look.

Hokage-jiji would hopefully be able to fill in that blank himself, if nothing else, the potential threat to the walls would be something he would need to hear about.

Their home was in one of the few tall buildings left standing in the vision... though she wondered if that was only because it was where she stood, but whatever the reason, it gave her a wide view, encompassing almost half of the village, and a fair portion of the monument itself.

The vision didn't last long though... barely even a few seconds, but it would have to do.

She sat down on the rail and sighed, annoyed that what she could offer in the way of assistance would be so limited... if it could even be trusted at all... but accepting that that was the nature of such things.

"_Please tell Hokage-sama that I need to speak with him... privately," _Kirlia asked, sending the thought skyward, to where she could feel a pair of ninja, presumably there to protect them from any contestants who might feel the urge to prune the competition a bit early.

The surprise she felt from the pair brought a small smile to her face, and the jumbled sensations of agreement only widened the expression, as she could easily imagine them responding verbally.

Apparently they had been informed of her telepathic nature, if not how to reply concisely.

"_Thank you," _Kirlia added, as she felt one of them start to move away.

Shaking loose the melancholy of the morning so far, Kirlia turned her thoughts to Naruto...

Part of her was thankful that he hadn't woken up and come out to check on her yet... but he would be soon, if his recent habit held without her morning greeting to the sun, and the feedback he felt from it...

He would certainly be curious if he noticed she had skipped it... and he seemed to enjoy waking up to the sensation...

What to do?

"_Ah!"_ Kirlia realized, rushing to the kitchen and throwing open the fridge with a grin. _"Breakfast in bed!"_

Naruto was a great partner, and she didn't like lying to him ever... but she would admit that she would be much happier if he never asked about the visions... or even suspected she had them.

It would be easier that way... at least until she learned to control them properly.

* * *

"Thirteen, sixteen, and seventeen," Kakashi stated, sweeping a high kick at his opponent's face.

Naruto swept a forearm block into the path, leaning into the force of the blow to help him maintain his balance and stepping into his sensei's guard to fire a quick jab at the man's gut.

Kakashi spun in the opposite direction, slipping away from the strike, planting his kicking foot and driving the other up into his student, sending the boy into the air easily.

He watched dispassionately as Naruto crashed back into the ground... Not that he stayed there long.

"Did you forget what I told you?" Kakashi asked warningly, catching the next launched fist and pulling, grabbing Naruto's hair with his free hand and driving the boy's face into the earth roughly. "This isn't just about the fighting, remember?"

"Yeah yeah..." Naruto groaned, pushing back to his hands and knees and rubbing at his now bloody nose. "Answer when ya ask, or you kick my ass..."

"Then answer: Thirteen, sixteen, and seventeen," Kakashi commanded, sliding into his stance. "And I suggest you hurry..."

"Gah! Gimme a sec!" Naruto shouted, evading his sensei's punch by the barest of margins, firing a wild kick at the man as he wheeled away, face screwed in concentration.

"Number thirteen is... He's watching a lady leaving a shop with her kid an' some groceries," Naruto explained, as he went on the offensive. "Seventeen is watchin' the main gate, an' nothin' much is happening ther-Hey!"

Kakashi nodded in response to the answers, blocking Naruto's punch-kick-punch-leap-axekick combo, grabbing the boy's leg and tossing him away, though the agile boy landed on his feet rather easily.

"And number sixteen?" He asked, continuing their exchange with a combo of his own, holding his abilities down to what might be expected of a genin.

"He's off watchin' Sakura-chan work," Naruto replied, blocking, dodging and countering with all of his skill. "She's stuck with that weapon girl from Bushy Brow's team, and that blue guy."

"I see... Kirlia?" Kakashi pressed on, glancing towards the pokemon, who was practicing as well, specifically, in using her Thunder Wave, while maneuvering a number of kunai via Confusion, and maintaining the mental connection between Naruto, herself, and the score of clones Kakashi had ordered Naruto to send into the village.

"_Sixteen is actually spying on the academy, and currently watching Konohamaru and his friends spar as part of their class taijutsu lesson,"_ Kirlia corrected. _"Sakura is being watched by number fifteen, but what he reported is accurate, as were the others."_

"Dammit," Naruto cursed.

"Two out of three isn't bad," Kakashi complimented. "But the penalty must still be assessed."

A burst of speed had Naruto's guard ripped wide open, and an open palm strike took advantage of that fact, landing a precise strike just below the boy's sternum, blasting him backwards and to the ground, where he lay in the dirt, trying desperately to breath with a spasming diaphragm.

Kakashi waited while Naruto recovered, confident that the penalty would be... inspiring, but not overly dangerous... Even if it felt like dying for a little while.

Naruto struggled to his feet even before his breath steadied, glaring at his teacher.

"Shall we continue then?" Kakashi asked brightly, smiling even wider when Naruto came on with a flurry of blows. "All right then... Six, nine, and twenty."

The jounin had devised this practice as a means to help Naruto harness his combat worthy shadowclones more effectively, taking advantage of Kirlia's aid to help each know what the others were thinking and doing...

If it worked, Naruto might end up with the ability to out think even a genius like a Nara, or the ability to prepare traps and ambushes on the fly, or any number of similar things, without the waste of having to create and dispel clones to pass around the ideas.

Of course, the difficulty would be the question of whether such a constant connection was even viable, but Kirlia didn't object, so it probably was...

That being the case, he just needed Naruto to learn to monitor the clones' thoughts on an automatic, or optimally an unconscious, level.

With luck, it would also serve to help Kirlia and Naruto synchronize a bit better in combat as well, so as not to have a repeat of the fiasco with Shino's insects...

Kakashi shrugged slightly as he pushed the thoughts away.

If nothing else, the brat still needed a bit of polish on his taijutsu, and sparring could only help in that regard.

Maybe he actually was a decent sensei... How many others could cram so much_ learning_ into a day of beating their students senseless?

* * *

"Hate puppets. Hate puppeteers. Hate Suna!" Tenten growled, wringing out her surprisingly long hair as she and her cleaning team sat alongside the river flowing through the village.

"Hate dog boys," Sakura added, though her own voice was more exasperated than angry.

"Hate useless complaints," Ao muttered in reply, leaning against a sun warmed tree, his eyes closed against both the sun's glare and the occasional stares of passerby.

The temporary team had spent most of the morning swimming through the village river, collecting debris ranging from dead plant matter, to lost weaponry, to generic garbage, and this was their first break of the day.

"It's only useless if it's only complaining," Tenten shot back, turning a dark look on the blue skinned boy. "Gimme another match against that doll playing pansy and I'll beat him until his own mother can't recognize him! Can you say the same about your fight against Ino?"

"I have already assessed and addressed my mistake against her," Ao answered, his voiced laced with something akin to annoyed embarrassment. "I made a faulty assumption and paid for it... but then again, I'm not the only one to do so, eh? For you see, Kankuro's mother has been dead for more than a decade."

The last part of that statement his the orphaned girl like a slap in the face, but faded quickly against her own stubborn anger. "Fine! His father then, or do you have some smartass comment about him being dead too?"

"If the Kazekage had died, I would hope you Konoha ninja would be among the first to know," Ao commented drily. "You are allies afterall."

Tenten sent a questioning look at Sakura, who nodded in confirmation, and the brunette scowled back at the Naka ninja.

She couldn't help but see the worst parts of her own teammate in the foreigner's tone, the dismissive disdain Neji reserved for enemies, and occasionally Lee... But at least the Hyuuga had a reason for his attitude, and the occasional good day, when he was almost nice.

"Oh dear, I think I hurt her feelings," Ao remarked sarcastically. "What ever shall I do?"

"You can start by shutting up!" Sakura shot back, the temper she had been known for in the academy rising to the forefront in defense of her fellow Leaf ninja.

"Technically, I would have to start by giving a damn about what some half-assed human crossbow felt in the first place," Ao replied with an evil smile, which looked all too comfortable on his sharp featured face.

In a blink, almost faster than Sakura could register, Tenten had attacked, drawing a kunai from the pouch at her hip and driving it at her antagonist.

Ao was equal to the task of evading though, and grabbed onto the tree trunk with his palms, curling his body up and away from the strike to catch onto a branch above with his feet, freeing his hands to counter.

By the time Sakura had gained her feet, the two more experienced genin had ended the clash, Tenten's wounding slash a complete miss, and Ao's newly summoned wakizashi laid across the back of her neck.

The imperiled girl dispersed into smoke, leaving one of the many bags of detritus they had collected in her place, and Ao withdrew his weapon, relinquishing his inverted position to land on his feet, almost perfectly balanced and watchful as the girl rose from the pile of garbage she'd Kawarimi'd to.

"Kawarimi and kunai, how very... mediocre," the Naka-nin taunted. "And this from the only ninja in the preliminaries to utilize fuinjutsu... aside from myself of course."

"I suppose there's no room for scrolls in that outfit of yours, hmm?" He continued, eying the utilitarian swimsuit the girls wore for this task. "Or is it just that the water would render them as useless as you are?"

He was forced to slap the girl's flawlessly aimed kunai from the air, and summon forth a second blade of his own to block her charging follow up, grinning into her glare across their locked blades.

"Touched a nerve, did I?" Ao taunted, pushing the girl away and dodging back himself to evade a water spout shot from Sakura. "Store bought scrolls and second-rate sealing? No wonder you only used nothing but the basic sealing array!"

"You... It's the only one I can make!" Tenten roared, driving in once more, pushing through Sakura's jutsu and using it's force to add to her own. "And if that's all I have, then I'll make it work!"

Ao dodged the wild stab, dropping his blades to grab the girl's leading wrist and spin, slamming her back against the tree and pinning her there with his second hand on her throat.

Instantly, her free hand came up to wrap around his wrist, squeezing tight and drawing a grunt from him as he realized that the kunoichi had considerable strength in her.

His appreciation grew as she began to fight his grip on her own wrist, and he realized that he had no chance to hold her for long... But then, it was never really his plan to do so.

"What would you give... to learn the art as I did?" He asked seriously, enticingly, locking her brown eyes with his own pale blue orbs.

"What?" Tenten asked breathlessly, from surprise rather than strangulation.

"Fuinjutsu is an art... and among my kin, somewhat of a tradition," Ao explained. "We learn the symbology as babes in arms, the puzzles we piece together , the games we play... but we are not a prolific race, and to look at one's own art grows tiresome after a time..."

"It was clear to me, that you had the interest, and now I believe you have the passion to learn... So now, as is my right, and duty, I make the offer: What would you give to learn the art of fuinjutsu as my kindred have practiced it for so many decades?"

Tenten's eyes were huge at the implications of the offer... to learn what she'd been trying so hard to, lessons even her sensei seemed unable to aid her in.

But her eyes turned shrewd quickly, as suspicion rose in her mind easily, especially after the viciousness of his taunts and the fight they'd just finished.

"What were you planning to ask for?" Tenten asked, turning the question back on him.

"Your first born child," Ao answered quickly, eagerly, baring his teeth in a hungry grin.

"As if!" Tenten shouted into his face, tearing his hand from her throat and bringing her knee up into his gut. Hard.

The blue boy folded easily, hitting the ground with a groan, which shifted into chuckling laughter as she walked away in a huff.

"Sorry, sorry, I just always wanted to say that," Ao laughed, reclaiming his seat against the tree and seeming more like Lee than Neji for a brief moment. "Rest assured, your future fledglings are perfectly safe from even an 'Oni' such as myself."

"Hmph, as if I'll even bother," Tenten scoffed. "I plan to be a legendary kunoichi like Tsunade-sama, not some kind of... mother."

"Then I wish you better luck than she bears," Ao replied seriously. "But I wouldn't be too hasty in your decision. I imagine a family of fuinjutsu specialists would make a valuable clan in a village like this..."

"You're still acting like I'm going to take you up on that stupid offer," Tenten said, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Because you will... Especially since the price can only be paid if you do," Ao replied. "To skip the annoying bargaining I'm supposed to waste time with: At one point in the future, one of my kin will demand a number of your family's fuinjutsu formula, five, to be precise."

"Why?" Tenten asked in puzzlement. "I thought you said your family's been doing this stuff forever?"

"To learn more of course," Ao answered with a half shrug, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "As I said, you will learn as I did, and in the end, your methods may differ from ours... That which does not grow will stagnate, and deciphering your clan's style will provide an opportunity for our own growth as well... assuming you're worthy of the offer anyway."

"Then... You're being generous just to be selfish?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Such disparity is the way of ninja life, is it not?" Ao replied, glancing at the pink haired girl before returning his gaze, and a challenging leer towards Tenten. "So... do you accept?"

* * *

"Not that I mind or nothin', but why are we walkin' around so much today?" Naruto asked. "I mean, you were in some kinda hurry just yesterday..."

"_Yesterday was yesterday, and today is today,"_ Kirlia replied, nodding wisely from her perch on her partner's shoulder. _"It's nice to just wander around once in a while... right?"_

"Well, yeah, but we just did this a week ago," Naruto grouched. "When we showed Karin the sights, remember?"

Kirlia hid a grimace at the reminder, which poked a Steelix sized hole in her excuse for exploring... and she couldn't really admit that she was trying to find oracular clues.

"_I guess I'm just... restless," _Kirlia claimed, rubbing her anchoring hand through Naruto's hair idly.

"I know what ya mean... It's like there's something in the air, or the water, or somethin'," Naruto remarked, surprising her. "But maybe it's just pre-fight jitters," he added with a nervous chuckle.

"_Pretty bad if you're getting cold feet already," _Kirlia teased. _"But at least you have a few weeks to get over it."_

"Cold feet? Me? Hah!" Naruto scoffed, bravado filling his words. "The only way I'd have cold feet is if Haku-chan was in the finals with me!"

"_Oh really?"_ Kirlia remarked, a sly smile on her face. _"Already looking forward to seeing Haku-chan again?" What would Sakura say!?"_

"Dunno..." Naruto replied thoughtfully. "But I bet she's even stronger now... Maybe I should get some boots or somethin' before I call her out for a spar though... I mean, she's gotta have some even more awesome moves now, fighting that Dodo guy and his goons."

Kirlia giggled at his complete cluelessness, not entirely surprised that her implication went over his head.

It was actually comforting in a way, to know that that was one future event that wasn't going to sneak up and bite her in the butt any time soon...

Assuming he didn't manage to rush headlong into something like that entirely unknowing.

As Naruto meandered aimlessly, Kirlia ran her hand though his hair, swaying on his shoulder with each step.

She was almost afraid of the day those feelings awoke within him... the first time he felt true love... the first time that most powerful of emotions exploded through their shared consciousness.

So much would change that day...

Dear Arceus, or lust! The burning, itching, possessive passion of unabridged desire...

She shivered slightly, bringing her free hand up to rub at the phantom tingle in her horns, almost convinced that she could already feel the potent sensation flowing through them.

As tiny fingers rubbed the vibrating red sensory organs, Kirlia's eyes narrowed.

There was no 'almost' about it, she could feel the projected perversion as clear as day!

That... that... that lecher! It was his fault these worries had been put in her mind!

Red eyes flashing dangerously, Kirlia glanced around, opening herself more fully to the sensation in an attempt to trace it's source... realizing that in their undirected meandering, they had approached one of the village's many public hotsprings.

"_Naruto... We have a good deed to do..."_ She declared vindictively. _"A pervert is spying on these people!"_

Naruto reluctantly agreed, thankful that he'd stopped using his own morally ambiguous Oiroke no jutsu...Not that it'd have been of much use in real combat anyway.

Despite appearances, and the occasional accusation to the contrary, Naruto was not a pervert.

He just happened to create the ultimate perverted anti-pervert technique, in part because of a completely well considered belief that the best way to practice the Henge was to transform into someone as far from himself as possible.

Short became tall, boy became girl, cropped spikes became a long flowing mane, bound in a twintail style... Of course, the body itself came mostly from the kunoichi that he'd ticked off a few months prior, when he got caught trying to turn a hotspring into the worlds biggest bowl of ramen.

He realized it's potential only after showing it off to his academy sensei, so excited about finally getting it right that he forgot to visualize new clothes as well.

The mature woman's body that suddenly filled his old t-shirt and shorts had a rather sudden impact on the elderly chunin, even if he never did mention it again.

Meanwhile, Naruto spent nearly two days hidden in his room, waiting to be arrested for teacher-cide.

His thoughts distracted by the development of his first original jutsu, his body followed the direction Kirlia pointed out for their deviant target.

A leap brought him to the roof of the entry hall, and a second sent him vaulting across the open baths towards the pervert.

Below, many eyes traced his progress, filled as the spring was with a mid-afternoon medical therapy session for a number of Konoha's elderly and infirm.

The vaunted reputation of hotspring healing became more than mere myth with the addition of a little medical chakra to the dissolved minerals.

The blonde landed his flying attack with the roar of wind, shaking the bushes around the onsen's perimeter wildly.

"Dammit! Which way?" Naruto shouted, crashing about in search of his missing enemy.

"_That way! And he's moving fast!" _Kirlia shouted widely including the people around them in her announcement.

"No one's faster than us! Interception teleport!" Naruto shouted, a flash of blue bursting over the wall... and more importantly, through the tiny hole bored in it.

"Looks like that old toad is back in town, eh?" One of the elderly women cackled from her lounged position against the wall. "Can't say as I blame him though, best view in town right here!"

"Twenty years ago maybe, you old prune," her companion countered, jabbing the first with a sharp elbow and inciting a debate between the two.

The nearby medic shuddered as he turned his mind far from the women around him and focused more fully on the water infusion jutsu, cursing himself for volunteering for the deceptively named 'Onsen Duty'.

Naruto and Kirlia appeared at their destination, the roof of the nearest hot spring, poised to intercept the onrushing ninja, a huge old man with lots of white hair and an expression of extraordinary surprise.

"_Gotcha, pervert!" _Kirlia cheered, eyes and fingers sparking as she summoned electricity to hand.

"Futon: Reppusho!" Naruto shouted, bringing both palms forward to blast the man with wind.

The old man smirked, bringing both arms forward defensively, pausing midstep for the barest of seconds the charge his feet and legs with chakra, before leaping into, and through the wall of wind.

Kirlia smiled as she sent the twin lengths of lightning whipping through the air, spinning like bolas for the spot he would land.

"Not bad brats..." the old man called, landing in a crouch behind a wall of earth that sprouted seallessly in time with his arrival, dispersing the Thunder Waves harmlessly. "But not nearly good enough!"

"Old man, you got no idea who you're messing with!" Naruto called threateningly.

"You got some spunk to say that to me of all people," his opponent replied, standing to his full height to lean on the edge of the wall and leer at the pair. "Seriously, do you even know who I am?"

"_You? You're nobody," _Kirlia replied with a smile. _"Just a lump of mud trying to distract us while the real one gets away... That way, Naruto!"_

"Right!" The boy replied, leaping away in pursuit of the fleeing Jiraiya and away from the Earth Clone.

"Well... That could have gone better," The remotely controlled clone muttered, in tandem with the real Jiraiya, before the Sannin allowed it to dissolve into a pile of dirt.

Jiraiya couldn't help but grin a little as he considered the impromptu test his absentee godson had initiated... a not entirely unpleasant idea, to be honest.

Marshaling his focus, Jiraiya did one of the many things in which he excelled: Passed off one hell of a lie.

So fast as to be almost simultaneous, he summoned a shadowclone, and then used shunshin to beat feet in different directions, with the real one ending up on the far side of the city, well outside of any sensor's range.

"Nice try kiddies, but the great Jiraiya's research falls to no man!" The old sage chortled, making his way to the nearest hotspring in search of... inspiration.

* * *

"I was under the impression that you were here to help me," Neji said with sour sarcasm. "But do tell me if I was mistaken, I would not wish to take away from your own studies."

He had been standing, staring and waiting for far longer than he should have, waiting for the end of their supposed fifteen minute break in their training, watching her become more and more engrossed in that scroll of hers.

"Just one more minute..." Tenten muttered absently.

Neji scowled. She was usually so punctual.

"I have already been waiting for four minutes," Neji informed her sternly. "Need I remind you of how imperative it is that I perfect this jutsu _before_ the finals?"

"And here I thought you were _fated_ to win," Tenten replied with a frown, as she reluctantly surrendered her study, and her seat on Skarmory's back. "This stuff is just so... fascinating!"

Neji declined to comment, either to her comment about the scroll, or the slight against his destiny, instead taking his position in the center of their scarred clearing, falling into his stance and wordlessly demanding the assault to come by bringing his dojutsu into play.

Tenten complied, continuing her discussion despite Neji's disinterest, her many kunai flying in alongside the now airborne Skarmory's Swift, and Sneasel's darting Icy Winds.

"I always thought that storage seals were simple, I mean, they're everywhere afterall, but the individual components are anything but! Element transitioning, stabilizing, chakra dispersal, space-time bending components... even the emergency release failsafe, all separate pieces to one small seal!"

"I thought that was just the way they worked, but apparently without it, all my stuff would just vanish if the scroll got damaged enough... And that's not all either, there are other release criteria: time, impact, chakra infusion, a whole slew of them!"

"So a weapon that you threw would release more?" Neji remarked, dropping from his first kaiten and glowering at the weapons scattered around him. "What good could that possibly do?"

"Not much... Unless the storage seal is linked to an inertia seal," Tenten replied with a savage smile. "Which I just so happen to have. I guess he didn't want to include a guide on seals without an example or two."

"I find it surprising... that you're willing to trust a gift from foreign filth so easily," Neji commented suspiciously.

"Who says I am?" Tenten countered. "I checked it against what I have though, the storage and explosion seals, and it all meshes... but I do plan to make sure Gai-sensei is around when I try making some new ones. He'd never let me live it down if my 'youthful' curiosity and 'burning' desire to improve got me hurt."

"Hmph," Neji grunted, agreeing wordlessly, coming to a stop for a second time in an even wider pile of broken blades.

"You'll be replacing those," Tenten warned him.

Neji just scowled at the metal scattered haphazardly at his feet.

"Too many are getting through," he decided. "They should be stopped, or deflected, not broken and dropped... Especially not this close to me," he added, flipping a halved kunai away with one foot.

"If you say so," Tenten muttered, catching the chunk of metal and eyeing the break forlornly.

"**Neji!"**

The roar preceded, barely, a green blur, which charged past the girl and stopped before Neji with enough force to blow the boy's hair back... and send a number of the broken kunai rolling across the crater he stood in.

"You, my most sneaky of rivals, owe me an explanation!" Lee declared, one accusing finger close enough to flick the Hyuuga's nose, had that been Lee's intention.

His expression of hurt anger made that far from likely though.

"I don't see how I owe you any such thing," Neji declared, reactivating his byakugan with a pulse of chakra. "But if you're looking for yet another fight-"

"No!" Lee interrupted forcefully, the shock of Lee turning down a chance to spar forcing the Hyuuga into silence, and allowing the green genin the opportunity to grab him by the shoulders, shaking him fiercely as twin waterfalls trailed from his eyes.

"You would truly try to deceive me again, even now?" Lee wept. "Have you no shame? No moral fiber? Has the evil of cool hipness tarnished the youthful passion within you so greatly!?"

Sneasel, who had been eagerly awaiting a fight from the moment Lee entered, dropped it's claws from at ready, and into the dirt at that comment, expression slack at the sheer insensibility of the allegations being leveled.

"Lee... Lee... LEE!" Tenten shouted, grabbing her less sane teammate and ripping him free from Neji, spinning him to face herself and breaking through the veil of his debatably manly tears. "Why don't you explain what the heck you're talking about before making anymore accusations, okay?"

"Yosh!" Lee announced, bringing his fist up before him, and nearly uppercutting the girl as she wisely dove backwards. "Then explain I shall! For you too should know of our teammate's shameful duplicity!"

"It began this morning, with my usual morning jog, merely a warmup today, no more than ten miles... when what did my youthful eyes behold? My newest, and more honorable," Lee added with a strangely sharp look at Neji, "rival!"

"It being a glorious day for a spar, of course I challenged him... and do you know what happened?" Lee asked, clasping Tenten's hands in his own and looking into the girl's eyes expectantly.

"You... won?" She guessed, trying hard not to wince at the bone bruising force he unconsciously displayed.

"You were crushed," stated Neji simply, as if such an outcome was inevitable.

His tone earned another 'look'.

"He declined!" Lee roared, releasing Tenten and stalking away to the treeline and back, tense energy begging for release. "And do you know why?"

"Because he has not yet had time to overcome his vulnerability!" Lee announced almost immediately.

"Well, it's only been... Nine days? So that's hardly surprising," Tenten remarked.

"You knew this as well?" Lee gasped theatrically. "Even you, Lovely Tenten would conspire with the unyouthful Neji in such foul treachery..."

"What? No, no way!" Tenten argued, trying to forestall the manly tears and rants of improvement that were never far away.

"It matters not! For it is as the youthful Shugorei said: It would take a miracle beyond even the majesty of hard work to overcome such a deficit in combative prowess!" Lee declared boldly. "Let alone to develop enough so as to overcome an obstacle such as yourself, Neji Hyuuga!"

"And as I said," Neji put in with a dismissive shrug. "You are fated to lose to me, now and always. You simply cannot fight your destiny."

'Yes! Time and again you have proven the victor in our battles," Lee agreed eagerly. "Because, in my foolishness, I challenged you, day after day, coming at you with every technique and secret in my arsenal, save those which I was sworn to withhold!"

His expression darkened, drawn eyebrows and fierce frown revealing that Lee could actually be intimidating when he so chose. "And day after day, you learned, revealing nothing of yourself, taking me for the fool I was..."

"But no more!" Lee declared, bright and joyous once more, roaring his proclamation to the skies above. "No more will I reveal more to you than I must, before it is ready, and no more shall I challenge you before I am certain that victory is in my grasp!"

Lee displayed a fist clenched tightly, a squeaking protest from the bandages wound around his hand and fingers, as he looked to Neji with a positively eager glint in his eye. "What say you to that, oh first of my rivals?"

Neji blinked laconically, but remained silent, cool and unconcerned by the threat in his teammate's words.

"Ahh! I see my cleverness has stolen your tongue," Lee decided with an enigmatic giggle. "Learn well the merits of hard work, my rival, for when next we battle, you shall see the full measure of my own!"

With that, Lee was gone, dashing past Neji and presumably off to train with new fervor, eager to overcome the handicap of Neji's superior skill.

"Exactly what was that all about?" the prodigy wondered aloud, having ignored the bulk of Lee's rambling rant.

"I think he's decided that the only reason you keep accepting his challenges is so you can stay ahead of him... so he decided he's going to stop challenging you at all, at least until he thinks he has a real good chance of winning," Tenten explained.

"And... he thinks that this is some nefarious plot of my concoction?" Neji wondered, one thin eyebrow arched, and a smug smirk on his face.

"That or he's drunk again," she added with a nod and shrug. "But he didn't run into a tree on his way out, so I don't think so..."

For all it's silence, that shrug was familiar. It practically said all on it's own 'It's Lee, what can you do?'

"Hm, well, let us enjoy the peace while it lasts," Neji decided. "And hope this resolution persists."

The cold boy held no enjoyment for the repetitious spars which he had been all but obligated to accept, but perhaps they would become less tedious in the future, if only because they would be rarer.

"Ty-ty-ty... Tyrogue? Gue? Tyro..." The scuffle pokemon panted, finally reaching the clearing. Lee was fast, Arceus dammit!

"Sneas." Neji's partner replied with a huff, jerking one clawed finger towards where Lee had exited.

"...Tyyy." The little Tyrogue blew out a heavy breath, scrubbed it's face with his palms and took off in a tired lope into the woods after Lee.

* * *

"Is this all you got, kid?" Jiraiya taunted, leaping across the rooftops backwards, hands tucked behind his head lazily, completely blind to, and unconcerned with, whatever obstacles might appear in his path.

Not he ever so much as stumbled, no matter what he came across.

"Just wait you ol' perv!" Naruto growled, chasing after on all fours, alone, aside from Kirlia, after having learned the uselessness of sending shadowclones after this guy. "You can't run forever!"

The shadowclone just leered back, silently laughing to itself.

The brat was surprisingly good, impossibly so when it came to staying on his trail... probably because of the pokemon clinging to his back, those sharp red eyes of hers seemed to be measuring him on a level he didn't fully understand.

It was rather impressive, for a genin to track a guy who made a habit of evading everything from jounin through Kage... usually.

He shoved the thoughts of those kunoichi he allowed to catch him away as Kirlia's face scrunched up in anger, and she lit up once again, the third time they'd tried using teleport to out maneuver him... a useless effort, but nostalgic in a way.

Jiraiya landed right where the pokemon had expected, lashing out with electricity again, but he was already gone pushing away instantly with an expression of chakra rather than muscle, flipping upside down as he spun away to face the girlish pokemon.

"This old trick again? Kid, do you have _anything_ else to throw at me? I'm getting bored over here!" He called after them, grinning dismissively in the face of the orb of purple light which sparked to life between Kirlia's palms an instant before she launched it.

"Musei Sakebi!"

A blast of pure psychic energy slammed into Jiraiya from directly below, shattering the shadowclone's attempt to evade, and exposing the last of Naruto's earlier shadowclones, which had abandoned a planned sneak attack after seeing the bulk of it's comrades roasted by a fireball blast.

The clone gave it's false life in the effort, funneling it's very existence into the disorienting jutsu, but giving Kirlia's attack the opening it needed.

Naruto braced himself for a counter, or to intercept the old man's fall, if he really was down for the count.

But the smoke from Kirlia's Psyshock cleared to reveal... nothing.

"_Shadowclone? But when?"_ Kirlia murmured, knowing that it was not a clone like the earlier earth bushin, it had possessed emotions... even it had mostly been flavors of amusement, annoyance, and that loathsome lust.

"Oh yeah," Naruto agreed with a toothy smile. "He's good... but now? Now it's personal! Kage Bushin no jutsu!"

Scores of clones appeared around him; on the rooftop, perched on the walls, even on the shoulders of other clones.

Every one of them shared his fervid expression, and every set of eyes latched onto the finger he stabbed into the air.

"No one tricks Naruto Uzumaki with his own jutsu!" He declared. "Now everyone... Find that pervy bastard!"

Naruto swept his arm down to point into the village itself, and a wave of orange sped from his position, zeroing in on every voyeuristic hotspot they could imagine.

Gazing after them, Naruto leaned against the crenelation as Kirlia hopped up beside him.

"_You are actually enjoying this, aren't you?"_ Kirlia observed with clear amusement in her tone.

"...A li'l bit, yeah," Naruto admitted after a moment's thought. "The old guy's got some moves, and it' kinda reminds me of the old days... Chasing around town, ninja on my heels, good times..."

"_Is it as fun from the other side?"_ Kirlia asked.

"Mostly," Naruto replied. "But it is a bit weird, being the responsible one for once..."

"_Aww, Naruto-chan is growing up," _Kirlia grinned, biting her tongue and patting the now glowering boy's head.

"Laugh it up shorty. Least I am growing," Naruto countered, sticking his own tongue out petulantly.

"_...I'll get taller when I evolve..."_ Kirlia pouted, crossing her arms and looking away in a huff.

Naruto dropped a hand to her hair and rubbed comfortingly, privately glad to have won the exchange, mild though it was.

* * *

"Already?" Jiraiya reflected quietly, as the information from his clone filtered into his mind. "Brat's better than I thought... Not that it matters anymore," he added with a lecherous giggle.

His clone had bought him all the time he needed, leading the brat all over hell and half of Iwa, allowing the prince of perverts to stake out a new vista.

"_Let's see... brat's fast, and has tons of stamina." _"Oh yeah, just a little more..." _"But that's to be expected, knowing Kushina and Minato... Wind and psychic jutsu, at least one of each, and-" _Hot damn! _"the Kage Bushin..." _Jiraiya reasoned, analyzing the events of his clone's escapade as he continued his dubious research. _"Kid's got potential, even if it still needs a lot of polishing..."_

"_Pokemon seems to use Psychic and Electric, and teleport, so probably a Psychic type... and for some reason, looks like a little girl..." _

The aged author sat away from his peeping with a sigh, as he thought about the pokemon, the sheer memory of the childlike creature making him uncomfortable.

Pervert though he might be, Jiraiya of the Sannin still had some standards, and one of the fastest ways to discourage his research was the presence of children.

Mothers on the other hand...

"Mood restored," Jiraiya declared quietly, returning to his peeping. "Why hello there... How would you lovely ladies like to star in my next book?"

The memory of the childlike pokemon didn't do nearly as much to discourage his habits as the presence of a real one.

"Itty bitty, teeny weenie, hot milf in a string bikini," he chanted to himself, giggling wickedly to himself.

* * *

_Date: XXXX-XX-XX_

_Personal log; Entry 5, Observation Day 9_

_The cannibalism and mutations have continued unabated, as has the rejection of every form of sustenance I have attempted to introduce. _

_Of notable exception were the unafflicted female kikaichu introduced in hopes of breeding more stable specimens, which were summarily slain and partially consumed prior to rejection._

_I can only assume the cause of said rejection was the lack of preexisting corruption, as those cannibalized from among the quarantined kikaichu leave little to no discarded matter._

_It is my current belief that this incident is evidence of further aggression on the part of the mutates, which seems to have reached a level sufficient to suppress or even eliminate the instinct to pass on one's genes inherent in nearly all creatures._

_That the mutates have survived far beyond a kikaichu's natural lifespan, could relate to this issue, but also raises a number of concerns for the long term viability of this experiment. _

_I must remember to look into secondary reproductive options, such as artificial insemination._

_It should also be considered that these kikaichu may no longer be capable of recognizing their kin, as the smallest of mutates has become an order of magnitude larger than even the largest of my kikaichu queens, with the foremost mutate having reached a length of roughly six (6) centimeters, and a girth approximately one third that._

_While privately, I am rather thankful that a kikaichu of this size is not within my body, intellectually, I must wonder at the sheer scale of this specimen._

_An individual kikaichu in my swarm possesses dimensions of seven (7) millimeters by three (3) millimeters, thus the preeminent mutate demonstrates an increase of almost eight hundred percent._

_Structurally, such an increase should not be possible, particularly due to their continued refusal of sustenance. _

_The number of kikaichu mutates consumed thus far would not, could not, support this degree of growth in a single specimen, let alone the several similar examples I currently possess._

_This situation leads me to suspect chakra as the catalyst, rather than the training ground, though the mechanics of such a permanent alteration continue to elude me._

_Research into the Forest of Death, both within the village libraries and my own clan's archives has proven interesting, but fruitless, for while there are a distressingly large number of advisements in regards to the training ground itself, none suggest a particular reactivity towards either kikaichu or Aburame._

_However, given the timing involved, and my suspicions as to the condition's relation to chakra, it must now be considered that the trigger is human, most probably related to the combat, rather than simple presence, within the Forest of Death._

_This by necessity directs suspicion towards those I battled in the recent past, notably those whom my kikaichu came into direct contact with from the moment I entered the forest, until my eventual defeat at the hands of Uzumaki-san._

_Further pursuit of this line of inquiry will prove difficult, due to the absence of most of those who died or left the village following the end of the second phase, but I must exhaust all avenues if I am to solve this puzzle for the benefit of the clan._

_Primary Analyst: Shino Aburame_

_Secondary Analyst: N/A_

* * *

Jiraiya had known about his silent observer for nearly ten seconds, a fair amount of time for a ninja preparing for confrontation, and in fact, had already planned out his 'failure to escape' strategy, which would begin with him crashing through the flimsy wall and into the pool full of bathing beauties... who would then proceed to vigorously punish him...

Not that their fists and feet could possibly do a damn thing against a ninja of his caliber, but the attempts did such wonderful things with their bountiful breasts, and the kicks...

He giggled at the thought of the treasures soon to be on display.

But first... he would need his little spy to fulfill their role in his production...

One little shriek of anger, that's all he needed...

Unless it's one of those white knight types, or a fellow fan of the female form... Bah, he'd just run in anyway, and drag the little bastard with him... Teach them to interrupt his research.

He snickered evilly at that thought.

One thing he didn't plan for was the quiet poof of a shadowclone dispelling.

So it reasonably took a moment, and the familiar flash of blue, to remind him of one white knight problem he thought he'd escaped long before.

But the Sannin was old and wily, and by the time the light faded, he was already nowhere in sight.

Or at least, that was the plan.

"You can't hide from us, old man," Naruto declared. "So ya might as well get to runnin', or just stay there and accept what ya got comin' to ya."

"Pretty cocky for some nobody punk," Jiraiya taunted, banking on the invisibility jutsu he'd created as a genin, and had only improved upon over the years.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki," the boy countered fiercely, dragging a kunai from his pouch and flipping it into the air. "Partner of Kirlia, and future Hokage of Konohagakure. Remember it! Reppusho!"

The tumbling kunai froze in midair as it fell orienting it on the pervert and flying forward of it's own accord, fired by Kirlia's Confusion, accelerated by Naruto's Gale Palm.

Jiraiya shifted out of the line of fire quickly, leaving the blade to slam into the wall behind him with an echoing bang.

His eyes narrowed shrewdly as he considered the implications of the weapon's aim, center of mass, either the boy really wanted to hurt him... or whatever method they used to track him wasn't precise enough to allow for pinpoint accuracy.

The Sannin tore the weapon free, allowing his jutsu to fall as he did.

"You know," he began, testing the kunai's edge against his thumb, one eyebrow raising in appreciation as the skin split easily. "I once hid from Sarutobi-sensei for two weeks with the help of that jutsu."

"Saru-" Naruto repeated, his mind skipping a beat before his sense returned. "Yeah right. Now tell me the truth: Who the hell are you? And it better be good!"

Naruto's stance slid into something much more dangerous as he drew more kunai, the pokemon shifting into her own strange form, arms bent and palms poised together at her stomach.

Jiraiya smiled broadly, he always did love a good prompting.

"Who am I, you ask?" He called brazenly, slapping his bloodied hand to the ground. **"Who am I?!"**

* * *

"**Who am I?!" **A loud, and horribly familiar voice called out above the hotspring.

A massive column of smoke burst from the far side of the onsen's wall, and more than one occupant screamed, as the cautious worry inspired by the earlier bang bloomed into full indignant anger.

**THMM! Thmm! Ctsh! Ctsh! Thmm! Thmm! Ctsh! Ctsh!**

The first pulse blasted the smoke away, clearing it to reveal the notorious ninja, scourge of beautiful women everywhere.

The water danced to the beat of the sonic assault from the man's pokemon, accompanied by the cymbal shield slams of his giant summon.

Jiraiya craned his neck as he posed in what he believed to be a most gallant fashion, taking one last longing look towards the well formed backsides as they fled the area.

"_Oh well... they'd have caught me soon enough I suppose,"_ he thought sadly.

* * *

Naruto and Kirlia both gave ground before the billowing smoke, the girlish pokemon separating the new sensations into three: The excited and somewhat sorrowful pervert, an eager and agitated presence above the man, and one massive presence below, steeped in humble embarrassment.

**THMM! Thmm! Ctsh! Ctsh! Thmm! Thmm! Ctsh! Ctsh!**

The smoke blew away, revealing the strange man, standing upon an enormous toad, which bore a large forked club and an equally sized metal shield, the two meeting at a regular rhythm to create a loudly resonating crash.

Jiraiya's legs were spread, one foot on the toad's eye ridge, one palm pointing at his pursuers, the other raised above him, bearing the blue bodied, toad-like, pokemon, from which the rest of the cacophony originated... at least until the large man himself added to it.

"From the north, the south, the east and the west! Women swoon, and men raise their voices in praise!"

"Rejoice, young ninja, for you have the honor of standing in the presence of a legend! The Toad Sage of Mount Myobokuzan! The Hero who stood against Hanzo the Salamander and lived to tell the tail! Yes, boy, it is I! Jiraiya of the Sannin!"

"One of the Sannin... is a pervert," Naruto muttered in astonishment.

"_I don't remember that being mentioned in the textbooks,"_ Kirlia agreed.

"First Orochimaru, and now this," Naruto bemoaned theatrically. "I'm almost afraid to find out what kinda nutjob Tsunade turned out to be."

"It's not so bad really," the large toad put in gently, or as gently as a building sized amphibian could, "The Great Toad Sage declared him to be pervy, so of course he must be so."

"That's not really the way it works Gamaken," Jiraiya grouched sourly. "And did you really have to tell them that?"

"Forgive me for insisting, but it is still better to be named as singularly pervy, than to be singularly graceless," the toad argued politely, and looking sheepish as he did so, rocking from foot to foot. "Even if it was an honor to be called before the Great Sage..."

"Well, now you can add tactless to that, so bravo," Jiraiya replied sarcastically, dropping from the high head to land gracefully before the genin pair, dropping Seismitoad beside him after he landed.

"Ah well, not like it's a big secret anyway," the large man sighed. "Go on back, I'll deal with the kiddies myself."

"Of course, Jiraiya-san. Please call upon me if ever you need my aid, graceless though it may be," The huge toad agreed with a ponderous bow and another burst of chakra smoke.

"Alright brat, brat-ette, you have my attention," Jiraiya continued on sternly, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "And after trying so hard to get it, I guess you got me interested, what the hell do you want?"

Naruto stared at the man for a few blinks before turning his gaze onto Kirlia.

"_You... are a pervert!" _She declared accusingly.

"Oh no. My secret is revealed. How shall I ever live with myself." Jiraiya replied, his tone drier than a Sunagakure sandstorm. "Kid, I've been a pervert since before you were a twinkle in your mother's eye, and probably before your mother was a twinkle in her mother's to boot. You don't really think forty-some-odd years of practiced perversion is gonna break due to some silly accusation, do you?"

"_It is not silly! It's true!"_ Kirlia countered, stepping forward angrily at the dismissal.

"Well of course it is!" The old man laughed. "And if I were some civilian, I'd probably be a felon by now..."

His tone turned dangerously serious, as he locked eyes with the little pokemon.

"But I'm not. I'm a Sannin, one of the strongest ninja in this, or any other village; I survived the second _and_ third shinobi world wars, training a Hokage-to-be in the process; I have an information network so widespread that if you give me an hour, I can tell you what each Kage had for breakfast and how many helpings; I am one of the last people in the world who bear the title of Sage in it's proper sense; I am the author of the most popular book series of all time; and I am the biggest goddamn pervert you're ever gonna meet!"

Naruto and Kirlia both fell back as the list of accomplishments, and the volume with which they were delivered, increased, the old man nearly shouting at the end as he posed in a ridiculously overdone battle stance.

"And do you know what all that means, brats?" He asked, quiet once more.

The pair shook their heads, awed, and a little afraid now.

"It means... That I'm allowed to be a little eccentric," Jiraiya declared with bold finality.

The old man relaxed his stance and massaged the muscles in his neck and shoulder, voice dropping back into a more conversational tone.

"Seriously, live through as much crap as we have, then you can start throwing accusations... There's a reason I'm the last truly loyal Sannin you know," he added, and though his voice was light, Kirlia could easily feel the weight of sadness and regret flowing off of him.

"We met the snake bastard already," Naruto admitted. "He was after the Te... Sasuke Uchiha, who's on our team... That's why you're here, ain't it?"

Jiraiya grimaced in displeasure.

"That is part of it," he admitted, eyeing the pair as if he had never really seen them before. "Am I to understand that you two are the ones who chased off Orochimaru?"

"N-not really," Naruto replied evasively. "It's... kinda complicated."

"Oh, I bet it was," Jiraiya agreed with a firm nod. "That old teammate of mine has a habit of bringing out the worst in people, and he's nine kinds of twisted."

"_And you are a very devious pervert,"_ Kirlia remarked privately, sharing a secret smile with Naruto, the only other one who heard her.

"So... you know how it is then?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Oh yeah," Jiraiya confirmed. "And for what it's worth... I'm sorry. I know the Yondaime never wanted to do something like that, to you or anyone else."

Kirlia was almost as shocked by the declaration as Naruto, who seemed torn between terror and pride.

"But in all honesty," Jiraiya added, pushing off of the wall and walking over, dropping a hand to the boy's shoulder, squeezing it in a show of support. "I think he'd be proud of ya, kid."

Naruto looked up at the man, who gazed back with eyes gone soft with sincerity, and swallowed thickly as Kirlia moved close, taking his hand in hers, gaining comfort from the way it closed around her small fingers.

"Do... do you really think that?" Naruto asked, mentally staggered by the acknowledgment, indirect though it was, that his least wanted, and most important, task was appreciated by his idol.

"I know so," Jiraiya replied with a smile, his eyes going distant as he looked into distant memory. "I knew that boy better than anyone, even his... fiance," the man chuckled heartily. "Oh the stories I could tell... If Sarutobi-sensei wouldn't have my head for it."

"Can't ruin a legendary Hokage's reputation with the wrong kind of stories, eh?" He added with a wink.

"_He wasn't a pervert too, was he?" _Kirlia asked suspiciously, earning a look of shock from Naruto for even suggesting such a thing.

"Nah... but not for lack of trying!" Jiraiya admitted with a helpless shrug. "I swear, pretty guy like him would have made a hell of a wingman, bu~ut he never seemed to be interested. A shame, that, but things worked out pretty well for him eventually."

"Until Kyuubi," Naruto scowled, looking down at his gut.

"Until Kyuubi," Jiraiya agreed. "But that's just how things are. There hasn't been a Kage yet who's had a chance to die of natural causes."

"I'm still gonna be Hokage someday," Naruto insisted, fire sparking in his eyes at the perceived insinuation.

"Then I'll wish you all the luck in the world, brat," Jiraiya replied absently. "But speaking of the Hokage, I suppose it's due time I go meet with the old monkey... He's never too happy to be one of the last to hear I'm in town."

"And I bet having to hear about you peeping on the ladies doesn't help matters any," Naruto added with an evil smile.

"You'd think not," Jiraiya replied with an even more evil leer. "But he's usually too interested in how far along I am on the next Icha Icha book to care about where I do my research."

"Icha _Icha!_" Naruto and Kirlia repeated together, memories of the horrible book he'd seen during the bell test flashing through the boy's mind, quickly banished, though not so fast as to prevent his acute embarrassment.

"Ahh, I see you know my work," the amorous author bragged. "Another adoring fan, a bit young, but it's always best to learn these things early, right, you little hypocrite?"

"It's not like that!" Naruto protested. "It's all Kakashi-sensei's fault! He's always reading those damn books of his, and we had to pass his stupid test!"

"Excuses, excuses," Jiraiya replied dismissively, patting the boy on the head with far more force than necessary. "It's only natural for a boy your age to be curious... and far be it from me to deride a young ninja for being able to acquire such illicit literature. As a ninja, I should be congratulating you! In fact, I think I will! Bring them by sometime, and the Great Jiraiya will autograph them personally!"

"But enough of that, I'm off! See you around brat," The old man, decided, leaping away with enough force to tear the wind in his wake.

"I'm not like that you old pervy bastard!" Naruto shouted after him, and probably would have taken chase once again, had Kirlia not still been holding of his hand. "I don't read your crummy books, and I never will!"

Kirlia glared after the old man, his emotions already sparking with the spicy scent that had started the whole ordeal in the first place.

"Seis... Mi... TOAD!"

The frog-like pokemon leapt after it's partner, clearing Naruto's head by bare inches, seeming almost to be throwing itself after it's perverted partner.

Naruto and Kirlia watched in awe at the sheer distance Seismitoad cleared before gravity finally brought it back down to earth, landing in the middle of the street with the sound of a hundred drums falling of a cliff. _(Bounce)_

Faintly, at least in comparison to it's clarion crash, the cry of 'Toad!" repeated, as the creature took to the air once more.

It seemed that one way or another, the village would soon know of it's most boisterous son's return.

Naruto shook his head in amazement at the strangeness of both pokemon and ninja, pausing after a moment to place one palm against his stomach, as he pondered his own strangeness, and the assurances that the Sannin had offered.

"_Naruto,"_ Kirlia said, tucking herself in close to him, pulling her grasped hand around her in a partial hug. _"I think we've wandered enough for one day..."_

"Yeah... Alright." Naruto agreed, sending one last glower in the direction Jiraiya had fled. "Okay, home then? And food, definitely food." He muttered as a growl rumbled through his belly, strong enough to feel through his gripping hand.

"_Food sounds very good right now," _Kirlia agreed, smiling brightly at her beloved brother, before taking the two of them home via Teleport.

* * *

"I've been wondering, is it true that the desert flowers bloom beautifully?"

"Rare though they are, yes," Baki replied, not bothering to look away from Gaara, who always seemed to be so much more restless on the nights of a full moon. "But be careful of the berries they become, for the fruits of the desert are often deadly."

The man Baki spoke to nodded in acceptance of the coded message, the glass eyes of his blank Anbu mask glinting green in the dim light.

"I trust you're having little difficulty keeping your genin leashed?" he commented, gesturing towards the sleepless jinchuuriki.

"Less than I would expect, actually," Baki agreed. "Though I wouldn't put too much faith in his opponents surviving to the end of the finals, not that that changes much with Gaara."

"As long as he holds to the plan, then whatever collateral damage he causes will be completely acceptable," the other decided. "It will hardly matter once the village is crushed anyway."

"Watch what you say!" The sand ninja scowled back. "The village security is already on alert, thanks to your master's decision to show his hand early. The last thing we need is to be caught-"

Baki fell silent, glaring off into the darkened alley below them.

"Relax," the Anbu advised, patting the air placatingly, and earning an annoyed look for the gesture. "They're not going to learn anything we don't let them. Remember who you're talking to, and who my master is."

"I remember." Baki replied dismissively, turning his eyes away from the suspicious area and trying to watch with his peripheral vision. "And you're almost as cocky as he is. You should remember as well: This is Otogakure's plan, and Sunagakure isn't going to take step one unless we're certain of victory."

"Then be certain," Kabuto agreed, grinning behind his mask. "Gathering information is what I do, and there's a pleasant little politico who's been quite... accommodating, towards our cause."

Baki growled deep in his throat at the thought of working with, even indirectly, the kind of back stabbing political fool which had put his village in this situation in the first place.

"I know, but his resources have been most useful, and his price is quite reasonable," Kabuto explained. "A bit of revenge, and the chance to run his village the way he wants... as if any civilian could ever command ninja on his own..."

"A pile of rubble on the other hand..." He added with a dark chuckle, which was mirrored by the Suna jounin.

"Very well, I shall defer to you for the moment, unless I hear different from the Kazekage," Baki agreed, turning to face his contact fully.

"I'm confident that you will not," Kabuto accepted, retrieving a scroll and offering it to the older man. "Orochimaru-sama left to meet with him personally, just yesterday. It is his desire that the Kazekage be fully involved in the planning phase, so as to best utilize our combined potential."

"Then this would be?" Baki asked, taking the offered item, though he declined to open it.

"A large portion of the information we've gathered," Kabuto replied. "Anbu identities, locations of escape shelters, and priority targets... as well as a bounty notice or two for people Orochimaru-sama is interested in obtaining, alive, if possible."

"I assume the Uchiha boy is one of those," Baki muttered, pocketing the scroll for later perusal.

"Indeed, despite his loss in the preliminaries, my master is quite taken with him," Kabuto confirmed. "It would have been nice to acquire that one while he was in the hospital still, but he recovered much faster than projected."

"Mmm," his sand ally grunted noncommittally "If one of our ninja comes across the Uchiha, he will be taken alive." The man promised, "as to the others... well, it will be a warzone."

"And such nasty places those are," Kabuto agreed. "But so long as that one is alive, and the village is crushed, I doubt the details will be a bother to anyone."

"Then I suppose one more corpse won't matter to anyone," Baki decided. "Call it a gesture of good faith, an assurance that we will hold to our alliance, unless given cause to do otherwise."

"Very well then, I leave our little spy to you," Kabuto agreed belatedly, the sand ninja having already put action to his words.

In one flash of motion, Baki shot into the shadowed alley, where he'd sensed the spy earlier, turning the corner and launching a half-aimed punch that hit the wooden wall with splintering force.

"Baaan!" a small puppet-like pokemon screeched, panicking at the attack that passed right through it's spectral face, falling in a panicked scramble and rushing off, leaving the can of refuse it had been poking through to clatter noisily to the sidewalk.

"Just a pokemon?" He mused, looking after the creature and straining his senses to determine whether or not an actual human were nearby.

"Someone's a little high strung," Kabuto teased, dropping down beside him. "But better safe than sorry I suppose."

"Maybe..." Baki replied absently. He considered asking the treacherous Konoha ninja if he had sensed anything, but wasn't nearly certain that Orochimaru's minion would be honest if he had.

"In any case, I'd best get back before I'm missed," Kabuto decided. "I'm supposed to still be doing my disciplinary patrols afterall. Such a meaningless punishment, but what Danzo-sama commands..." He finished with a flippant shrug as he vanished in his own shunshin.

Baki looked around once more after the boy had left, frowning, breathing deeply in search of any hint of the intruder, eyes going wide as a faintly familiar aroma came to him.

"That wasn't just a pokemon," He decided, biting back a curse as he wondered where that sick proctor had vanished to, and what complications his survival might cause.

* * *

_Moments earlier:_

"Then I suppose one more corpse won't matter to anyone," Baki decided. "Call it a gesture of good faith, an assurance that we will hold to our alliance, unless given cause to do otherwise."

"Very well then, I leave our little spy to you," Kabuto agreed belatedly, the sand ninja having already put action to his words.

Weezing's heads expanded, gulping air to produce a veiling haze as Hayate cursed their luck silently, one hand flying to the hilt of his sword, hoping to be able reach the Hokage, or backup, in time.

But as he tried to leap away, the shadowed ground beneath his feet gave way, leaping up to engulf man and Poison pokemon both, before once more fading into true darkness, leaving a different pokemon in it's wake.

By the time Baki arrived, there was no evidence of the ninja, and the only the barest hint of the pokemon's.

Hayate disoriented and falling through utter absolute blackness, drew his blade, slashing it through the void around him, careful to keep his blade from where he could sense Weezing caught in this strange attack alongside him.

He felt his blade meet, and part, a number of sticky strands, inciting an angry hiss from his attacker.

A confident grin bloomed on his face, bare moments before the darkness around him changed, becoming less deep and far less insidious... and even more painful, as he was fully released by the attack and left to fall to the hard stone floor beneath him, the impact triggering another coughing fit.

"Weeeeze?" His pokemon asked, drawing out the word inquisitively as he floated down, a light flickering to life on the designs beneath it's faces.

Hayate blinked in the light, but quickly pushed to his feet, with one hand, the other held before his mouth, hoping the strain hadn't left him bleeding internally again.

"I-*cough* I'm fine," he claimed, retrieving his sword from where it had landed in the fall. "Where the he-*cough cough* hell are we?" He wondered looking around the obviously man-made tunnel he'd landed in.

"Weezing?" the pokemon moaned, floating closer, providing light, and resuming production of it's healing mist. _(Flash)_

"Thanks," Hayate murmured, patting the pokemon with his free hand, holding the blade at his side, relaxed but ready.

Hayate gazed around suspiciously, back and forth along the path, and leaping up to inspect the area he appeared from, though it seemed to be perfectly impassible.

Dropping back to his feet, Hayate frowned as he paced in one direction, then the other, seeming confused, moving to sheathe his blade...

But instead spinning a slash into a patch of shadow that Weezing's light couldn't seem to illuminate.

The patch of darkness bled into the stone, and his sword met nothing.

"Clever, clever," a taunting voice sang directionlessly around him. "But not clever enough, hmm? Poor little Leaf-nin, caught in a pot... Tried too hard to spy, but only got caught!"

Hayate grimaced at the half-mad cackling of his captor.

"What do you want?" He demanded, brandishing his weapon and moving randomly around, Weezing floating at his back, their three sets of eyes watching everything.

"Oh, many things. Many, many, many things, but none which you can give me, I'm afraid," the voice answered. "So I figured I'd... amuse myself by teaching you how a real ninja spies on the likes of those fools."

"But you had to go and attack me!" It continued with a snarling whine, which quickly shifted back to playful malice. "I should kill you just for that... but I think I'll just leave you here... It's not like I have any obligation to _you_, Leaf-nin."

"Why don't you try it," Hayate challenged, bringing his sword into position for his most serious technique, the Crescent Moon Dance. "One opening, that's all I need to finish you off, betrayer!"

Dark laughter surrounded him, and the shadows deepened, shifting like hidden beasts.

"Maybe I'll give you that chance, Leaf-nin... or maybe, I'll just make you stay down here until you rot!" The voice countered angrily.

Another voice, half heard, murmured, and the mood seemed to shift as the environment returned to normal.

"We will meet again, Leaf-nin," The voice promised petulantly. "But we've more important matters than teaching some half-dead ingrate proper manners. Enjoy your stay, it may be a while."

"Looking forward to it," Hayate promised, though he suspected his apparent opponent was already gone.

Sheathing his sword, and looking to the mist emitting from Weezing, he determined that what little air flow there might be was too minute for detection.

Whipping out a kunai, he scored the wall on both sides of the tunnel with a large **X**, and an arrow pointing in the direction he chose to walk.

He'd be damned before he demeaned his katana with such a mundane and potentially damaging task, but he'd be equally damned if he just sat around waiting for that strange shadow user to return.

* * *

Sensing a presence, Kirlia's eyes shot open, and she sat up in bed with a start, the alarm she felt enough to shock Naruto out of his own deep sleep.

"Nehan Shōja no Jutsu." _(Temple of Nirvana Technique)_

The genjutsu hit him like a sack of feathers, and the boy collapsed into an even deeper slumber.

"I understand you wished to speak with me?" Sarutobi said softly, drawing the pokemon's eyes from her partner, as the old man stood gazing out the boy's bedroom window, the flickering light of Infernape's hair-flames making him seem as ancient and enduring as petrified wood.

And more than a little intimidating.

"_I... Yes, but why..." _Kirlia mumbled, rubbing her tired eyes and trying to gather her thoughts.

This was far from the way she had expected such a conversation to go.

"It was suggested to me that you might not wish Naruto to know of this unusual ability of yours," the Hokage replied, looking towards her with eyes full of rueful understanding. "And of all the people in Konoha, I probably have the least right to object to your decision..."

"_Heavy is the head that wears the crown..."_ Kirlia murmured, tucking Naruto in with Confusion as she hopped out of the bed to stand properly before her indirect leader.

"More than you know," Sarutobi agreed, smiling softly towards the sleeping genin. "Though, perhaps you will someday... But for that to happen, I must continue to protect our home."

"_And we shall do all we can to assist you,"_ Kirlia promised fervently. _"I swore to Iruka-sensei that I would tell you if I had any visions that could be used to protect the village, and so I am."_

As concisely as she could, Kirlia explained the omens she had seen, from the first of Hinata, right through to what she'd seen wandering around with Naruto that afternoon, sharing the visual memory of the damage she'd seen to the village itself.

By the time she was finished, the Hokage's expression was grim and terrifying.

"I cannot properly express how much I appreciate your aid in this, Kirlia-chan," the Sandaime said, dropping to a knee and looking into the girlish pokemon's eyes. "If nothing else, it carries the warning that they intend to destroy the wall, which could leave us vulnerable if another opportunistic enemy chooses to follow their attack."

"_Of course, Hokage-sama,"_ Kirlia replied, bowing her head in deference. _"I will do anything I may to protect Konoha... It is Naruto's dream to take your hat someday, and he can't do that if there's no village to protect,"_ She added, meeting his eyes with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Right you are,"Sarutobi chuckled, rubbing the pokemon's hair in the way he'd seen Naruto do, and earning a similarly satisfied hum from her.

"Kirlia-chan," he began, turning serious once more. "I am aware that you believe these visions to be unreliable, but I need to know: How likely is it that these events will come to pass?"

She stilled, her smile falling as her eyes went distant. _"I... don't know. What I see could be the best possibility, the worst, or anywhere in between. I don't even know who, or what, could cause such damage."_

Sarutobi grimaced, but dismissed his disappointment with a shake of his head.

"I think it best if we assume that to be the worst possibility, and treat it as such," he decided. "Though I believe the blame will ultimately fall on my wayward student, Orochimaru... Regardless, knowledge is a ninja's strongest weapon, and every hint and clue is another weapon to be used against our enemies."

"_Do you think it will be bad?"_ Kirlia asked hesitantly.

"No." Sarutobi declared firmly. "I will make sure of it, just like my sensei, Hashirama, and just like the Nidaime and Yondaime... Perhaps, just like Naruto, someday."

"_But they all..."_ Kirlia murmured, trailing off and looking at her partner worriedly.

"Eventually, yes." Sarutobi agreed sadly, though his grim expression quickly gave way to a more why smile. "But to live forever would be a very sad existence, wouldn't you agree?"

Kirlia smiled wanly at his attempted humor, her gaze, and thoughts, still focused on Naruto.

"Well, no matter," Sarutobi sighed, accepting the failure of his humor. "I intend it to be quite a few years before I meet the shinigami... though I suppose..."

Sarutobi blew out a sigh, waving away Kirlia's concerned look.

Training up a successor, again, would be a nuisance, but something that was long past due.

"Is there anything else you have need to tell me?" He asked instead.

"_No, not at the moment," _Kirlia replied with a shake of her head._ "But if there's anything I can do to help, please tell me." _she offered sincerely.

"I surely will, but until then allow me to take my leave," Sarutobi said politely, tipping his hat in deference to the nominal owner of the home he'd invaded and vanishing in a shunshin.

Kirlia wondered briefly how similar the shunshin technique was to teleportation, since the man seemed to bypass both the door and the windows in his exit.

* * *

Over at the Hokage's Tower, Sarutobi sat at his desk pondering the information he'd learned, marking the potential breaches on a map of the village, and considering what his forces had learned so far.

Otogakure, Orochimaru's pet village, was the primary threat, but it's forces weren't nearly enough to pose a valid danger on it's own.

If only there was some way to...

The man who's mind had earned him the title of 'Professor' sat back in his chair as an idea occurred to him.

His eyes sought out the mission scroll he'd set aside a few days before, a mid-priority C-rank which could suit his purposes nicely... Quite a few purposes, if circumstances played out right...

Sarutobi smiled a cunning grin that even the Kyuubi would have been proud of as he packed his pipe and lit it.

Now he just needed his problematic pervert of a student to gather enough nerve to present himself to his commander.

* * *

Orochimaru glared at the corpse at his feet, not entirely certain whether he'd have preferred the man to accept his fate, or to have made a better fight of it.

The serpent Sannin kicked the the Kazekage over, and tore free his legendary blade from the man's chest, clearing it's toxic edge of blood with a whipping motion as he glowered around at the man's supposedly elite defenders.

"Want us to clean up the rest of this trash, Orochimaru-sama?" one of his own elite agent offered, the rotund boy fully immersed in his curse mark's second stage.

"Bonus round, double points!" another leered, juggling his orange metal blades from hand to hand to hand to hand... a feat only possible due to his ridiculous number of arms.

"I need one alive," Orochimaru declared simply, turning his back on the remaining Suna ninja contemptuously. "Eliminate the rest."

Ignoring the sounds of slaughter behind him, and the occasionally close flying jutsu, he crouched down before the dead Kazekage.

"You should be proud you know," he said conversationally. "Your sacrifice is merely one step along my road to greatness, and the proving ground for the technique which will end Konohagakure's reign forever...

"But I suppose that's cold comfort to someone in your...situation," he added with a bit of a grin.

The fight was predictably brief, and soon a ninja, battered but intact, was forced to his knees a respectful step behind the Sound's leader.

Orochimaru spared a glance over his shoulder for the prisoner, before rotating to face the man.

"You, my intrepid young ninja, are about to become one of the precious few to have glimpsed the great beyond while still alive... mostly," he explained, to the man being held down by Jirobo, who, like his allies, had dropped down into their normal states.

"You treacherous fool! Do you really think Sunagakure will aid in your invasion after what you've done?!" The stubborn Suna-nin swore, spitting his words viciously. "You've damned yourself, and your plans!"

"Hmm, doubtful," Orochimaru mused. "I suppose if your Kazekage were a more social man, perhaps... but I sorely doubt anyone will even notice."

"His children, if they can be called such, are in Konoha already, and his disdain for his supposed Council is nearly as famous as I am... In truth, so long as I wear his robes, and his face, I doubt anyone will even notice his absence..."

"Meanwhile, I get a second unquestioning army, and a test subject nearly as powerful as those I plan to use to help in that pathetic village's destruction..." Orochimaru added, patting the jounin on the cheek patronizingly.

"Truly, it's a win-win scenario for me," he claimed, tearing the hand away and impaling it clean to the wrist in the Kazekage's chest.

Sakon stepped forward, unrolling a scroll with a seal shaped like a broken circle drawn upon it's page, holding it taught enough for his master's needs, as Orochimaru withdrew his hand and pressed his prize, the Kazekage's very heart upon it, discarding the bloody organ immediately after.

Orochimaru then took the scroll and placed it on the ground, where the blood leaked away, forming a complex seal around the captured ninja, leaving Jirobo the barest moments to make his escape.

He then clasped his hands together, activating the jutsu, just as the ninja gained his feet and began whatever useless feat he was going to attempt.

The man screamed as it took hold, scraps of paper, yellowed with age, emerging from the ground encasing him, muffling and mummifying him.

Across the dune, a half dead pokemon screamed in sympathy, it's body exploding with light which fluctuated from red to brown to purple and back, until the Camerupt vanished, presumably dismissing itself to escape.

An act which seemed to spontaneously incite the self dismissal of every surviving pokemon in the vicinity, much to the Sound Four's surprise.

At the same moment it fled, the scraps fell from the ninja, revealing a familiar face.

"_**You.**_" The single word, spoken with such venom that Orochimaru, used to acting without his own pokemon's presence, dismissed the puzzle from his mind for the time being.

"Welcome back, Kazekage-sama," Orochimaru said cheerfully, bowing with mocking deference to the formerly dead man, retrieving a nasty looking kunai as he straightened with a hungry expression on his face. "I'm afraid I needed to... coerce your assistance in a certain experiment of mine. Feel free to object... If you can."

Sakon and Ukon, Kidomaru, Jirobo, and even Tayuya were less complacent to the pokemon's disappearance, having never seen their pokemon show fear in any way... and not one of the four could get their partners to stick around until that stretch of desert was long behind them.

Orochimaru was just pleased with the progress he'd made testing the Edo Tensei, and securing the cooperation of the desert village.

Kabuto had outdone himself with that suggestion, even if the Yondaime Kazekage was a bare candle when compared to the Hokages he planned to control.

* * *

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed as he felt the nearby presence of one rarely appearing in the world of light, near enough that it was impossible to be mere coincidence.

"_What do you want, Giratina," _the Hand of Arceus demanded coldly.

"Trouble on your side." The pokemon ruler of the so-called reverse world answered with a voice that met, and exceeded even Mewtwo's icy tone.

Mewtwo turned to face the Draconian Ghost, large even among Legendaries, particularly in it's current serpentine form.

The Psychic type stared long at it's opposite, one of the few, like himself, to have opposed the natural order of poke-kind willingly, before nodding a shallow bow to the one who ruled the realm of life after life for pokemon.

"_I'm listening,"_ he said, words as imperious as ever, but tone more accepting of whatever Giratina had to deliver.

"Something on your side attempted to force open the veil between worlds," the Renegade Pokemon explained. "I know not who, nor do I care, save that the dangers it sparked within my own realm were not easily quelled."

"_And so you come to me to solve this problem for you,"_ Mewtwo asked with a half smile and an evil glint in his eye. _"Are you aware of where this attempt originated?" _

"Would I appear upon this horrid land if I had not exhausted my own search?" Giratina asked sharply. "Come, and I will lead you there."

Giratina opened a void in existence, a gateway into the realm between his world and the material one, and Mewtwo, with well hidden reluctance, passed through the Ghost infused area, emerging onto the warm sand of a desert battleground. _(Shadow Force)_

"_This is the place?"_ He asked to clarify, turning his nose up at the unpleasant aroma of blood, ashes, and death.

"I am certain, though the cause seems to have been him," Giratina confirmed, pointing with his skeletal wings at the robed corpse, half buried in the sand.

"_He has no face,"_ Mewtwo observed.

"You are a deductive genius," the other remarked sarcastically. "You may also note he has no heart."

"_I'd be surprised if this one ever possessed one to begin with, but__ I know the man who's work this is,"_ Mewtwo replied, his tone steeped in old anger, as he passed around the desert field, pausing once to press his three bulbous fingers into the sand where the Camerupt once lay. _"Tell me though... What was the effect of this disturbance?"_

"Nearly tore open a passage between the worlds," Giratina growled back. "I told you as much moments ago!"

"_And if you hadn't stopped the attempt?"_ Mewtwo asked.

"I do not-"

"_Next time, let it run it's course,"_ the artificial pokemon interrupted angrily.. _"Long have I sought the life of this... scaled worm. But so long as his sins fall solely upon the heads of humanity, he stays safe due to the line Arceus has drawn... My hands have been tied by our leader's tolerance!"_

"But the instant he crosses that line..." Giratina mused, appreciating the other Legendary's reasoning.

"_It becomes my responsibility to eliminate him,"_ Mewtwo confirmed. _"That one has the makings of the Tyrant reborn, and I will not stand for another of his ilk!"_

"Then I will accept your proposed course in this," the Renegade agreed. "If only to snub the old master... Now, I take my leave of you and your wretched world."

"_May our next meeting be many years away,"_ Mewtwo offered, nodding again in respect to his older counterpart.

Giratina opened another of those terribly numb gateways and returned to the reverse world of the pokemon afterlife, a place he never expected to see.

Though part of him wondered what it was like, ruled as it was by the spectral dragon... and to a degree, Arceus.

"_Orochimaru..."_ Mewtwo thought, clenching his fist as he stared down at the corpses of those pokemon to stubborn to dismiss themselves, and too weak to survive the battle.

"_Humans never change..._" He decided, forcing away the memories of those humans who had been so, so different from the majority.

In the end, they had refused to change too, even unto death...

* * *

A/N

Chapter 19, done, and for once, I got about everything i had planned in. One more chapter to go before the finals, where I once more try to make interesting fights... this time without the allowance of anything too one-sided.

For those who are interested, What Kakashi was training Naruto in is essentially the Game's incarnation of Telepathy, keeping the pokemon aware of what it's allies are doing so that one's own team cannot hurt it. It's also a bit like the Rinnegan's sight, though far less effortless. Not sure how far it will go though, so *shrug*.

One other note on Naruto's abilities: I have in the last month acquired and watched Fate/Stay Night, and all I can say is Damn, it is awesome. I know true shame for not watching it more commonly, and now wish there was a Summoner!Naruto story where he summons one of them as a partner. (Personally, I think Rider would be a good fit, in regards to being punished for crap they weren't responsible for.)

I went on a bit of a tangent there, but back to the point: During my second watching, I realized: Naruto's Chakra weapons are pretty similar to Archer's weapon creation (Not the Unlimited Blade Works) Which really would have made his bloodline an awesome fit with the Gallade/Swordsman Naruto concept a number of reader's suggestions have put in my head... Ah well, it gives me more ideas of where to go with it for this story, even if I don't intend to write out the Gallade one. (Seriously, I don't, I update slow enough just writing the one.)

Review Response:

Mesojoe: I hope you're happy, I literally slapped myself when I read your review and realized how craptacular my jutsu names were... I need to focus on being a lot less literal minded when I'm coming up with those, and probably just setting a translation to something that flows nicely, rather than supplying a 'proper definition' type note... I'll have to reassess those in the next few days, though i doubt I'll use the Discharge Lariat name, if only because that sounds like something similar to how Thunder Wave works, only much cooler and stronger. (probably going to use it like that though, if ya don't object)

I am quite fond of your ideas on the more exotic bloodlines though, and was already thinking along those lines for some characters, such as Han, just hadn't set it down quite like that... Would make the Third Kazekage puppet rather interesting though, when I reach him.

Guest A: I'm not sure if Naruto will learn anything of Sealing, though if he does, it'll likely be while training with Jiraiya. The only one I really had plans on introducing to more complex sealing styles was Tenten, and this chapter is half the reason Ao and the gang are still in the story, rather than getting chucked out after failing out of the prelims. I can pretty well guarantee Naruto and Kirlia will gain some Rasengan combos in the future, I'm not entirely sure what yet though, probably some form of Lightning variation, maybe a ghost infused version, and Teleport? Almost a certainty... Though I'm not sure what the drawback will be, since it seems a little overpowered... I'll have to brainstorm on that more.

Guest B: Go read Vulpine. Beyond that, I don't rush through things, that's my only excuse. I have notes about what I want to clear each story section, which I break into chapters, and that's what I aim for. If you truly think I'm stagnating the story by wasting words on supplementary characters, then that is your opinion, and you are welcome to it. In some way, I'm actually glad i didn't get to Jiraiya last chapter, if only because he did so much more than my plans for him in this one. And just to let you know, Alakazam is a long ways away from appearing. Not til Post Tsunade retrieval, and even then, it's not planned to be him joining the regular cast for even longer.

Alrighty, long bloody note is done, and I'm beat.

Hope y'all enjoyed,

-Mhyrloc


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